![]() ![]() O happy begun freedom, the beginning of all my good”.ĭiscernment thus led her to reflect on what God’s plan for her was, and this awareness freed her from any form of possible temptation originating from “earthly things”. This relationship was sung about in a shared but subdued way in one of her most beautiful prayers: “O Parent of parents, and Friend of all friends, without entreaty you took me into your care and by degrees led me from all else that at length I might see and settle my love in You. Her inner freedom was born precisely from this “direct” relationship with the Lord of whom she felt herself to be an “instrument”. Through meditation and prayer, Mary’s bond with God grew stronger, more intimate, more colloquial, to the point that in her biography she stated, “God was very close to me and within me I saw him enter my heart and hide there”. Led by women who had refused to be cloistered, this innovative “active” apostolate, for the benefit of youth education and women’s dignity in society and the Church, had as its radiant centre in Ignatian spirituality centred on discernment. ![]() In addition to the education of young women, the English Ladies gave material aid and spiritual support to persecuted and imprisoned Catholics, proclaiming God without wearing any religious garb, sometimes even dressing fashionably, ¬ so as to be able to carry out works of charity inconspicuously. Their indissoluble bond with Ignatian spirituality, their closeness to the charism of the Society of Jesus, whose spirituality and way of life Mary adopted, earned them the name “Jesuitesses”. These were a group of women dedicated to the apostolate, but not bound by a Rule, and without habit or cloister. Henceforth, she founded the Company of the so-called “English Ladies”, since its members were all English Catholics. However, the contemplative life needed an outlet in practice and so it was that Mary Ward, by opening a school in Saint-Omer, aimed specifically at the education of young girls. She arrived there with some companions and entered, without taking her vows. In 1609, as the anti-Catholic persecutions became more and more fierce, Mary crossed the Channel to live out her religious vocation in the French monastery of the Poor Clares of Saint-Omer. The last of a series of attempts to get her married was attempted by her father confessor, but failed when, during the celebration of mass, the priest unexpectedly spilled the chalice. Born into a wealthy English family, Mary Ward was guided from her youth by an unshakeable faith, which would later give rise to calm but steadfast resistance to anyone who expected her to live a life following the usual tracks. In the year 1595, in Mulwith, a small town in Yorkshire, England, a ten-year-old girl was resisting her father’s will, who had planned an arranged and prestigious marriage for her. With Mary Ward the first revolution of the nuns
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |