Mary Ward (1585-1645) was an English Catholic nun, a pioneer for a woman’s role in Church ministry, and an advocate for women’s education. Her activities led to the founding of the Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which have both established schools around the world. In 2009 she was declared Venerable and a woman of “heroic virtue”. “Do good and do it well” was her favorite maxim. For those of you tuning in for the first time, welcome! Here’s the deal: Every weekday, we highlight the stories of iconic women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. We’re talking about women from around the world and throughout history. Each month is themed. This month we’re going back to school, highlighting educators and intellectuals.
This month, we're going back to school with stories of the most influential women educators in history.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
Today we’re talking about a woman who believed so strongly in the right of women to receive an education that she was willing to defy the traditions of the church and the edicts of the English government.
Let’s talk about Mary Ward.
Mary was born on January 23, 1585 in England to a large Roman Catholic family, at a time when Catholic persecution was rampant.
Mary was raised in religious households - when she was a teenager, she lived with a family who maintained a strict schedule of prayer and instruction. They even had a priest secretly living in residence. At 15, Mary felt that God was calling her to lead a religious life. So she moved to Northern France and joined a convent.
Then, in 1608, Mary left France to found her own convent for Englishwomen. After a year, Mary decided that living a life of contemplation and prayer - the standard for women involved in the Catholic church - wasn’t enough for her. She also wanted to do active ministry work. Things like helping the poor, founding schools, and teaching Christianity. So Mary gathered a community of like-minded women and established an institute that ran schools for girls in England.
Mary’s ambitions were highly controversial. For starters, the English government was still heavily persecuting Catholic people, which meant that Mary had to conduct her operations covertly. But the Catholic church wasn’t on her side either - the church had ruled that women should stay in enclosed convents as nuns.
Despite these challenges, Mary pushed forward, continuing to provide English girls with an education. She wrote: “There is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great matters...I hope in God it will be seen that women in time to come will do much.”
In 1621, Mary walked 1,500 miles to Rome for an audience with Pope Gregory XV [the 15th]. Mary wanted the pope to allow women to train for the same ministry work as men. But the pope did not grant her an in-person audience, and Mary never got an official decision about her proposal.
Still, Mary continued establishing schools all over Europe — in Rome, Naples and Perugia [peh-ROO-juh], Munich, Vienna, and Pressburg. All while petitioning the Pope to allow women to stand on more equal footing in the church.
Finally, in 1631, Pope Urban the 8th issued a Papal [PAY-pull] Bull that called Mary a heretic. Her institute was dissolved. Mary was imprisoned in a tiny, dirty cell in a Munich convent. She wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone, and she wasn’t given any writing materials. To communicate with the outside world, she wrote letters in lemon juice on the back of the paper her food came wrapped in.
In 1632, Mary travelled to Rome for her trial. The pope acknowledged that Mary was not a heretic, but he refused to re-open her schools.. Even though Mary’s institute was never fully eradicated, her followers continued to teach.
Finally, in 1639, amidst worsening health, Mary was allowed to return to England. She died on January 30, 1645 at 60 years old.
In 1909, the Catholic Church confirmed Mary Ward’s institute and named her the founder. 100 years later, Pope Benedict the 16th gave Mary the title of ‘Venerable’, commending her ‘heroic virtue’.
Mary Ward was a champion for women’s education. Her schools have helped educate countless girls across the globe, and her perseverance and determination fundamentally reshaped how women were treated in the church.
Today, Mary Ward’s Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary has established teaching foundations on five continents.
All month, we’re honoring the legacy of educators. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter, Womanica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, @encyclopediawomannica and follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!