MARY WARD 1585-1645

Few Englishwomen of persecution times are as conspicuous as Mary Ward, confessor of the Faith and foundress of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was born at Mulwith in Yorkshire 1585, a year which saw still more cruel laws enacted against Catholics. The following year her valiant countrywoman, Margaret Clitheroe, was pressed to death at York. Mary had something of Margaret's temperament and character, being merry, fearless, and energetic. But Mary was to have a much wider field for her activities.
Fortunately we have abundant first-hand evidence for her life; her own letters (full of high spirituality and quaint sayings), her autobiography (written under obedience), a life written by one of her first companions, some six other early lives by priests of note, and a series of fifty seventeenth century paintings at Augsburg illustrating the most significant and spiritual but not the most spectacular, events of her life.
An Aristocrat
She was of an aristocratic family which in spite of intense persecution had clung to the old faith. Several of her relatives were priests and martyrs, many were confessors. Her own grandmother, for in
stance, Ursula Wright, had been in prison for fourteen years. Mary was sent to her. We can well imagine the profound impression which this good soul must have made on Mary. " I do not remember," writes Mary, " in that whole five years that I ever saw her sleep, nor did I ever wake when I perceived her not in prayer."
From the beginning Mary inspired those around her with thoughts of Heaven. " To see her you would have thought she was predestined."
She drew souls to her by a kind of spiritual magnetism and walked fearlessly ever towards God. First of all, she set out with characteristic courage to conquer herself. Taking the " Spiritual Combat " at her guide she deliberately sought out and embraced joyfully all opportunities of attaining the different virtues.
Not Afraid of Work Although she was highly educated she would, for instance, ask to do menial work and would gladly let herself he taken by visitors for one of the servants.
She courageously and strenuously refused several brilliant offers of marriage, left her land and heartbroken family to serve God in the religious state: against her own inclinations she became a lay sister because she was told forcibly that it was the Will of God; faced the insults of the people of Se Omer from whom she had to beg; left a convent which she had bought and founded for English nuns because God told her clearly that she was not to stay. " I saw not anything, but understood more clearly that this was to be so than if I had seen or heard it spoken "; and bore, patiently the name of " runaway nun," " visionary " and " false prophetess."
Aged 24, she returned to England to work, for a period appointed by her director, among her fellow Catholics to instruct them and prepare them for the priest.
She returned to St. Omer with a band of young English girls and, whilst patiently waiting for further enlightenment from God, set herself and her companions to teaching children of the town without remuneration.
A Reformer The enlightenment came suddenly. She was to base her rules upon those of the Jesuits. " My confessor resisted and all the society opposed " is her sad comment. All tried to persuade her to accept some rule already exisiting. She was adamant. God had spoken, and never at any time later was she ever to doubt it. Her aim was to form an institute for nuns to work in the world, especially by educating children. In those days, the very idea of nuns taking up an active apostolate was strange. Attempts had been made by others to found such communities but they had failed. Where two saints had been unsuccessful, Mary was finally to succeed. Some far-seeing bishops who understood the urgent need for such work heartily welcomed the " English Ladies."
Convents and schools were founded not only in Flanders but in Germany, Italy and Austria.
The Devil, however, was not idle. The novelty of the venture caused evil tongues to grow busy, and slanders were repeated in high places. There was a danger of the Institutes being condemned. So Mary hastened to Rome, so sick that she had to be carried there, to plead her cause. She dictated an account of her life to be given to Urban VIII; she pleaded with energy but promised whole-hearted submission if her Institute were condemned. There was no hurry, she could wait God's good time. That time had not yet come. She was asking a great deal: non-enclosure and exemption from the jurisdiction of bishops.
She returned to Munich to await results. Two months later the Institute was sup
pressed, 1631. The whole of her life's work was to crumble round her; she saw the ruin of all she had so painfully built up, eleven flourishing houses with three hundred members and their schools.
A Prisoner
Mary herself was thrown into a loathsome prison as a " heretic, schismatic, and
a rebel to Holy Church." She was released by order of the Pope, who explained to her later that he had allowed the suppression as a test of her virtues, Out of this suffering the Institute rose to a new life. Its cradle was a house in Rome where the new members gave " their best to God."
Mary travelled to Flanders and England and, while executions were being carried our, ran a boarding school for London Catholic children. She even planned a day school, but Civil War intervened.
She went north with her spiritual children, carrying sacred vessels, prayer-books and vestments. She opened a chapel at Hutton Rugby, passed through Cromwell's army at York without molestation, and finally settled at Hewarth, about a mile from that city. There she fell ill, went to Confession and Communion on January 1, 1645, and joyfully prepared for death. " Come let us sing and praise God joyfully for all His infinite loving kindness," she said a few hours before her death, and then sang a hymn with her companions. In exquisite peace, inclining her head, and with Jesus on her lips, she breathed out her soul to God.
She was buried in the Protestant cemetery near by at Osbaldwick, where still can be seen the tombstone which used
to cover her sacred remains. It bears the inscription " To love the poore, persever in the same, live, dy, rise with them, was all the ayme of Mary Ward who haying lived fit) years and 8 days dyed the 201h Jan, 1645." An old guide to York tells us " when the leaves were turning, shining beautiful, the Ladies of the Bar (Convent) had their wont to go to Osbaldwick and pray at the grave of Mrs. Mary Ward their first Abbess."
Character
A close study of the life of this valiant woman reveals the exercise of all the virtues and gives every reason to think that these were practised to an heroic degree; her faith was great; she actually craved for
martyrdom. Her hope was great : she faced untold opposition, constant fatigue, journeyings many, direst poverty, intense spiritual desolation without ever losing her calm confidence in God.
Her charity towards God was great; she would spend whole nights kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, longed to confess and receive Holy Communion daily, always guided those under her by the way of the Love of God, Her charity towards her neighbours was great; she spent herself for others; she visited the imprisoned, and harboured priests at the risk of her life, risked her life in attending contagious diseases, and was so kind to her enemies that it was generally said, " Better to be her enemy than her friend."
It is hoped that her memory will revive. All English Catholics, all teaching orders especially, owe this brave pioneer a deep debt of gratitude. She is too great, too noble to be forgotten.