On Friday 17th of September Pope Benedict XVI during his speech at St Mary's University
College Twickenham highlighted the figure of the Venerable Mary Ward. let's listen
to his words :
" Looking
around me today, I see many apostolic religious whose charism includes the education
of the young. This gives me an opportunity to give thanks to God for the life and
work of the Venerable Mary Ward, a native of this land whose pioneering vision of
apostolic religious life for women has borne so much fruit. I myself as a young boy
was taught by the “English Ladies” and I owe them a deep debt of gratitude. Many
of you belong to teaching orders that have carried the light of the Gospel to far-off
lands as part of the Church’s great missionary work, and for this too I give thanks
and praise to God. Often you laid the foundations of educational provision long before
the State assumed a responsibility for this vital service to the individual and to
society. As the relative roles of Church and State in the field of education continue
to evolve, never forget that religious have a unique contribution to offer to this
apostolate, above all through lives consecrated to God and through faithful, loving
witness to Christ, the supreme Teacher. "
Mary Ward was a saintly Yorkshire
woman who had her founding vision four centuries ago. Sister Frances Orchard of the
Congregation of Jesus tells us all about her ..