On the feast of the Venerable Mary Ward, the sisters in Via Nomentana celebrated a Mary Ward Service with P. Jeera SJ. We share his homily: “Prophets and epoch changing persons are not born every day. Venerable Mary Ward is one among them who was born in the fag end of the 16th Century (23/01/1585)
By Deirdre Browne, IBVM Essentially, we have been on an 8-day retreat together. What a gift! Could Ignatius and Mary Ward in the 16th/17th centuries ever have imagined that their daring dreams would be shared and enacted by men and women of the 21st century? Wonders never cease with an ever-faithful God! My final reflections
Who is this woman? Eyes fixed ahead set on her goal. Mary Ward had the courage to opt for the selfless Jesus way on her life’s journey. “To proceed as Christ did… was all the happiness I wished for in this life” she wrote. Like Jesus, her sole purpose was to fulfill God’s will regardless
Many members of the Mary Ward family know these words, a prayer of our foundress Mary Ward: O Lord, Jesus, You know my heart Grow Lord, grow in meO Jesus, Make this heart perfect so such as You’d have wantedI’m in your hand turn me this way or that as it pleases you O God,
Sr. Patricia Rediu CJ is the writer and composer of a new Mary Ward song in Romanian. We invite you to listen to the song and to meditate its text. Here is the English translation of the lyrics: Jesus was your first wordJesus was in your heart and in your mindJesus has been your support
Mary Ward died on the 30 January 1645. Her tombstone is garded in the church St. Thomas in Osbaldwick. Even if this parish (and its graveyard) are Anglican, they are very drawn to the Venerable Mary Ward and host a Mary Ward Service every year during Mary Ward Week. This year, the service was held
Who is this woman? What is she saying to us? Journeying with Mary Ward in Timor-Leste is very real for me. I see so many sparks of her spirit in the life stories, beliefs, culture, mysticism and hopes of the Timorese people. I also feel so blessed to witness the way her spirit speaks deeply
The Mary Ward Family is wider than just the sisters of the Congregatio Jesu and the IBVM. Many lay people all over the world follow in the footsteps of this encouraging woman and live by her spirituality in their everyday life. Some of them are teachers at Mary Ward Schools, others are former pupils or
Who is this woman? What is leading her on? I am Cecilia and I live in Myanmar as a missionary. My life in Myanmar as a missionary is a big challenge for me. As the political situation is becoming worse, the economy is going from bad to worse with no end in sight. Many people
Who is this woman? Why is she travelling so far? The love of the Lord, this is what keeps us going While we see the image of Mary Ward we see ourselves as itinerants (a Romanian sister missionary in Cuba and another returning from Romania to Peru after her apostolic experience as a tertian). The
Who is this woman? O take my hand and walk with me! Mary Ward, defined by Pope John Paul II as the “perfect woman”, has always been on the move. She has been on both a physical and spiritual journey, searching, discerning what is right, and “pursuing her dream to its end”. Today Mary Ward
Sr Veronica Fuhrmann, CJ Superior General, together with Sr Anna Quinterio, Assistant General, made a visit to Bucharest, LEP Province, from 19th to 22nd January 2024, with the aim of meeting the council and sisters in and around Bucharest. They were welcomed with bread and salt – a sign of local hospitality – and pampered
Who is this woman? Where is she going? “O take my hand and walk with me. Come and sing my song.” The words gently urge us to join Mary Ward and continue her journey of determination that God had set for her and her company for some greater thing and for God’s greater glory. This
Who is this woman? Where has she come from? I am Sr. Aleta Dube from Zimbabwe, studying in Rome. Isn’t it ironic that every year we commemorate the death of Mary Ward, yet we feel her presence within and among us? I have no doubt that Mary Ward is alive among us and the people
Who is this woman? Lead us on, Mary Ward! “Who is this woman?” This woman, from a young age, in a hostile environment, goes about discovering the secret of her heart. She cannot hold it within. She crosses mountains and seas, breaking borders, because she heard, as did Moses, God speaking in the bush: “I
We will be celebrating Mary Ward Week again from 23 to 30 January 2024. From the birthday of the founder of our order on 23 January (1585) to the anniversary of her death on 30 January (1645), we will reflect together with sisters, companions and friends of Mary Ward worldwide on how her spirituality, her
During this year’s Mary Ward week, the question of our song, “Who is this woman?” resonated with us as an invitation to discover how we live the charism of Mary Ward in our different contexts, cultures, and languages. Here are the lyrics of the song: Direct link to the video with the song: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AFNy4JrbRd2FNHaK2OgGuxS0aNTwzgZ6/view
Hello! We are Christa Parra, a Mexican-American from the United States Region, IBVM, and Mariana Ojeda, an Argentinian from the Amerindian Province – Latin America, CJ. We met in Manresa, in October 2022, at the IBVM General Congregation. From the first moment we met, we felt like sisters from the same family. Fortunately, we both
CanonisationofMaryWard Dear members of the Venerable Mary Ward’s family, As you know, we are making every effort to promote the Cause of our Venerable Mary Ward. The latest initiative involves the use of technology to generate support for the Cause. With the help and expertise of Lauren Masterman, Director of Communications at The Bar Convent,
Our process of “Becoming One” with the sisters of the IBVM – the other branch of Mary Ward’s Institute – is taking many different forms. One of them is comon missions in different parts of the world. Last year, Sr Helena CJ from Germany, joined of Loreto Rumbek in South Sudan. She supports the team
