Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland

The Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland are an independent Roman Catholic women's religious congregation founded in Cleveland in 1850. We trace our roots to St. Angela Merici, who founded the company of St. Ursula in Brescia, Italy in 1535. In August of 1850, three Ursuline Sisters and a laywoman arrived in Cleveland from Boulogne-sur-mer, France. Within a month of their arrival, the women opened a school for 300 students. The Ursuline Sisters played a major role in the development of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Cleveland. In the past thirty years, the sisters' ministries have expanded to include pastoral and spiritual ministry, health care, social work, and advocacy.