By Prisca Vadakepoondikulam

Kanpur, Nov 4, 2025: Mary Ward, founder of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pioneered unenclosed religious congregations for women, governed by female general superiors.

She was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1585 while Queen Elizabeth I reigned. English Catholics had clung to the Catholic Faith with immense courage under severe persecution. It was impossible to enter religious life in England that made Ward leave for the Spanish Netherlands in 1606.

In her fervor to join the most austere religious life, she was led to enter the Poor Clare Convent in St. Omer as an Out-Sister begging for alms. God showed her that this was not for her so she left the Poor Clare Convent. She founded a Poor Clare Convent in Graveline where she and thirteen13 other English women began to lead the life of the Poor Clares. Subsequently, God revealed to her that she was called to “something other.”

Mary returned to England in 1609 and while being there, she had the first of the three pivotal experiences, the “Gloria vision” in which she was given to understand that what she was going to do in the future would bring greater glory to God but there was no clarity as to what the desired good thing would be.

At this time in England, Ward was joined by companions who wanted to help Catholics in that perilous period of their history and travelled with her to St. Omer.

Ward wanted One Institute, (and not separate parts independent of each other) with a female superior general, free from the jurisdiction of the diocesan Bishop; free from the obligations of cloister; focused on mission; and flexible to respond to the needs.

This was a radical request at the time when women’s status in society and in the Church demanded subservience, leading to the suppression of the Institute in 1631. Due to failing health Ward returned to England in 1637 with some companions. They lived in London and continued their apostolate in a private way until civil disturbances under Cromwell drove the community back to Yorkshire where Ward died in 1645.

At the time, four communities of the Institute remained, the main one in Munich, one in Yorkshire; a small community in London and another in Rome. Shortly after Ward’s death, the community in Yorkshire under the leadership of Frances Bedingfield moved to Paris.

In 1669, she returned from Paris to England. The community she brought with her moved several times between Yorkshire and London, until she finally established the historically significant Bar Convent in 1686.

With the suppression of the Institute, the seat of the chief superior in Munich was left vacant. Ward was forbidden to be called foundress. Due to the Thirty Years’ war (1618-1648) all connections were lost between Munich and York.

The term of the superior in York had expired but the newly elected superior could not get the required approval from Munich. The local bishop took over the jurisdiction of the Bar Convent which then became separate from Germany.

The birth of the Irish branch (Loreto) in 1822

Aristocratic Catholic families in Ireland used to send their daughters to study in the Bar Convent, in York. Frances Teresa Ball had already done her schooling in the Bar Convent. Coadjutor Archbishop Murray of Dublin in 1808 asked the community in York to found a house in Dublin with a school like the one in York.

The then superior Mother Coyne expressed her inability to send sisters to Dublin but wrote to the archbishop assuring him that they would receive Miss Teresa Ball as a member of their holy institute, with a view to training her to be the founder of a house of the same Order in Dublin.

She went back to Ireland in 1816 after her formation and final profession to found the first house of the Institute in Rathfarnham, Ireland in 1822 but like the Bar Convent, the Irish foundation too was placed under the jurisdiction of the local bishop.

foundation in Ireland was an immediate success and many young women joined so that Teresa Ball had to open new houses and she consolidated the Irish branch of the Institute.

Gradually over the 20th Century, many of the Institute branches joined together. The Roman branch received papal approval in 2004 to be called “Congregation of Jesus.”

The Roman and the Irish branches are the last two to become one after being separate for more than two centuries. The decision to become one, was signed, by the two superiors general, Veronika Fuhrmann (CJ) and Carmel Swords (IBVM) on August 8 this year, after a long process of discernment involving the members of both the branches.

The celebration of this long- awaited historical event will be in Loyola, Spain, on November 4.

“For centuries the Spirit has been stirring the hearts of Mary Ward Sisters worldwide to make her desire for one congregation a reality-now is the time. The joy and energy in both congregations highlight the deep desire for oneness which will strengthen our charism and our mission thrust.” (Joint Statement by Srs.Veronika Fuhrmann the superior general of the Congregation of Jesus and her IBVM counterpart Carmel Swords.

As on October 3, the Institute of the Blessed Virgin has 550 members and the Congregation of Jesus 1,270. Canonically, in the process of merger, the name of the congregation with the larger number of members remains the ecclesiastically recognized name of the merged entity.

They share the same spirituality and charism, based on the visions of Mary Ward. The vision “Take the same of the Society” (1611) mandated her to take the same of the Society of Jesus in matter and manner. She wanted the name of Jesus to be included in the name of the Congregation and the Ignatian Constitutions, but not the customary “dependency” of female congregations on the chief superior of their male counterpart.

The Vision of The Just Soul (1615) made clear to her the path which her members were to tread. “The felicity of this course was a singular freedom from all that could make one adhere to earthly things, with an entire application to all good works.” Such a soul “refers all to God.”

Sincerity, Freedom and Justice are the “Just Soul virtues.” This is the charism that she brought to the Church. For Mary Ward, Sincerity meant “Appear as you are and be what you appear.” Justice demands right relationship with oneself, others and God.

The Charism of this congregation enables its members to respond to the needs of our world in a multiplicity of ministries, going where the need is greatest. At last Mary Ward’s dream of a united Congregation has become a reality!