1st January 2025
The Jubilee Year 2025 reminds us of the Graces received by Mary Ward exactly in the Holy Year of 1625, 400 years ago, a very important moment for the whole Mary Ward family.
Let us accept Pope Francis’ invitation to be PILGRIMS OF HOPE by welcoming God’s grace present in our daily lives and becoming channels of this grace for the people we meet daily and for our world that thirsts for hope. Mary Ward taught us to be Pilgrims of Hope: she never tired of walking and never lost hope, indeed until the moment of her death she animated us to hope.
The year 1625 was very difficult for Mary, there were already rumours about the possible closure of the school and the house in Rome. But it was also a year full of extraordinary graces.
On 11 April 1625 in the church of Santa Maria del’Orto, in front of the Blessed Sacrament, Mary saw clearly that she was absolutely nothing and that God is everything. This light so immersed her in the love of God that she was completely out of herself, resting only in Him. Illuminated by the splendour of the rays that descended on her face from the Blessed Sacrament, she remained for a long time deprived of the ability to see.
On 26 June 1625 she had already heard the news of the suppression of the houses in Rome, Mary Ward went to pray in the church of Sant’Eligio degli Orefici standing before the Blessed Sacrament, she received such light and knowledge God’s forgiveness of offences, that he felt love for his enemies, so that afterwards he always called them his friends and the bearers of his eternal reward.
Other graces received in 1625:
- In the church of San Gerolamo della carità, she asked God intensely and humbly to make her understand how she could accept suffering with the greatest profit. She understood internally and with all clarity that it would bring Him the greatest joy if she accepted suffering willingly. It is probably correct to interpret this light in the sense that she should have accepted the painful events as a participation in Christ’s Passion and thus endured them with the awareness that God is Lord, but also Father, who cares for us with His providential love.
- On the feast of San Pietro in Vincoli the 1st of August Mary intensely commended the Institute to God and clearly understood that its prosperity, progress and security did not consist in riches, great fame or the favour of princes, but in the fact that its members had free access and an open way to God, from whom all strength, light and protection must come. Undoubtedly Mary felt in tune with St Peter; she too was as if ‘in chains’.
Before she left Rome in 1626 in St Mark’s Church she prayed for the Institute and God made her inwardly hear these words of Christ: “Can you drink the cup that I shall drink?” and showed her what great hardships, persecutions and sorrows she would have to endure in the fulfilment of His Will. Mary offered herself to accept all this with joy”.
With Mary Ward, pilgrim of hope,
we wish HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!
PS: We are currently producing a series of videos showing the places where Mary Ward and her companions received the graces mentioned above. The videos will include reflections about the events in 1625 and link them to the life of our Mary Ward Family today.
We invite you to follow our social media channels to keep posted.
