Angela of Foligno: Medieval Spiritual Director

Have you ever written to Dear Abby asking for advice? If so, it probably wasn’t spiritual advice, was it? Today most people seeking spiritual advice go to their priest, or a formally trainer spiritual director. In Angela’s day, many people came to her for spiritual advice. While Angela did not formally carry the title of spiritual director, her advice was sought by many. Perhaps because she had lived it, or “been there,” in today’s parlance. She was wife, mother, caregiver—a role many modern women play. Men, as well, are often caregivers for aging parents, or for spouses who are ill. They are husbands and fathers also, and in today’s world, these roles carry more responsibility than they did in medieval times, when husbands were the breadwinners, and left household duties up to women.

Perhaps Angela was ahead of her time, as many Franciscans were. She acted to help friars, family, and local citizenry of Foligno, using her own deep spirituality as a guide. Her mediations on the Crucifix and the Passion of Christ gave her the insights to feel others pain and suffering in a unique way.

So, what can we, as priests, spiritual directors, or those seeking spiritual direction, learn from Angela? Although not formally educated, she able to read but not write (she needed to have her letters written by a friar who befriended her and recognized her gifts), she earned the title Magistra Theologorum, “Master Theologian.” 

I think today’s spiritual guides, whether they be priest or spiritual director, can benefit from Angela’s deep sense of the presence of Jesus in her life. Although many times we describe spiritual directors as “wounded healers,” and perhaps all healers fit that description in some ways, having a deep spirituality and a knowledge of basic theology, can serve anyone who has chosen to be a spiritual guide for others. 

What, you say, you are not a priest or a spiritual director? So, what does Angela’s life have to do with you? If you are a spouse, as Angela was, your husband or wife may at times need spiritual guidance even though they may not write you a Dear Abby letter. You can sense it in someone with whom you share your life. If you are a parent, your children will undoubtedly come to you with questions about their faith, not just questions about religious practices. There is a big difference. Janice Haley, PhD has published her groundbreaking work in adolescent spirituality in the Journal of Christian Nursing. She found that young people, like all patients, are asked about their religious preference when they were admitted, but no one asked them about their spirituality. She taught her students to ask questions beyond, what religion are you when young persons were admitted to the hospital. It made a world of difference to these young people, to know someone cared about more than if they considered themselves, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, etc.

In Angela’s time, lay people, especially Franciscans and Dominicans, were increasingly becoming recognized as models of holiness. In today’s Church, there is a role for women Spiritual Directors, for Extraordinary Minsters of the Eucharist, and for Preachers.

What is your church doing to encourage laywomen and laymen to assume these important roles, not only to assist the pastor, but to recognize the unique gifts the laity bring to the Church? Even if the layperson may not experience the visions Angela experienced, although I suspect many have, all are open to having the extraordinary experiences of metanoia (conversion in the ongoing sense) that Angela had.  Her experiences and perception of Christ’s passion made her sensitive to the suffering of people and prompted her to model her life after that of Francis himself, who of course modeled his life on Jesus. Perhaps only a person who feels this deep compassion can be an effective spiritual guide for others.