About

Ursuline Academy is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for young women in grades 7-12. Founded in 1946, Ursuline Academy in Dedham operates under the sponsorship of the international network of Ursuline Sisters, the oldest religious teaching order devoted to the education of young women.

Admissions

Our Admissions team welcomes families for tours throughout the year, and we sponsor events designed for students to explore our campus, sit in on classes, and to get to know our community. Ours is a holistic approach to knowing each student as we review qualifications for admissions. Learn why families choose Ursuline, and how our graduates become young women of character, faith and scholarship!

ACADEMICS

Ursuline Academy offers a rigorous program of study designed to challenge and inspire students, and our faculty encourage their love of learning, reading, and scholarly exploration in the pursuit of truth. Our graduates are fully prepared to study, analyze, and communicate persuasively to meet the challenges of university work.

LIVING THE MISSION

The values of an Ursuline education– a Catholic education– were established centuries ago when Saint Angela Merici dedicated her life to forming a company of young women engaged in bettering their communities. At Ursuline, we challenge our students to live lives of integrity that reflect the principles of Catholic social teaching, and to be Christ to one another in today’s world. We welcome students of all faiths, and support every student on her spiritual journey.

Saint Angela's Vision

St. Angela's Vision

In the mid-sixteenth century, God sent a vision to a devout and willing woman of faith as she returned from a long pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Though we may never know what message St. Angela Merici received from God, it was in good time and with clear vision that she established a small company of women who made every effort to provide education and guidance to young women. During those times, education for women was generally reserved for wealthy classes or nuns, and Angela recognized that to foster young women in mind and faith was to acknowledge her call from God.

Active and devoted lay persons found her to be an inspiring leader who was deeply faithful to the Church and filled by the Holy Spirit with a confidence in women's own capability. Angela read the "signs of the times" and carried forth a mission that would honor education in all things, for women of all circumstances. She created a company of women and made it her life's mission to serve those seeking spiritual and educational guidance. Her vision for young women was expressed through her life's work, and is confirmed by the present Ursuline Constitutions:

Our Ursuline tradition of education offers a Christian vision of the person and the world; enables young women to view their culture in the light of faith and to be a gospel leaven, that is, to be leaders actively engaged in the concerts of their own 'marketplace,' creatively involving themselves in the restructuring of a more just society.

Long ago, Angela asked her company "to take great care that the good directions given you are observed in earnest" and in the same breath added, "If, with change of times and circumstances, it becomes necessary to make fresh rules or to alter anything, do it with prudence, after taking good advice." (Last Legacy)