Mary Ward: A 17th-Century Reformer
Antonia Fraser looks at the life of the Catholic reformer and missionary, who believed passionately in women's education. Her life was recorded in a remarkable series of paintings, recounting her career and now on show in the convent in Augsburg.
“There is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things” – these words which have an oddly contemporary ring, were part of a passionate speech made at a convent in St. Omer in north-eastern France in 1617 by an Englishborn nun named Mary Ward. She went on to quote the example of the (female) saints: “And I hope in God it will be seen that women in time will do much”.
The particular occasion of this speech was an unwise observation by the nuns’ confessor, who ascribed their diminishing religious fervour to the weakness of their sex. Mary Ward strongly rebutted him: “Is it because we are women? No, but because we are imperfect women. There is no such difference between men and women […] It is not veritas hominis , verity of men, nor verity of women, but veritas Domini . In other ways than such a clear-sighted appraisal, Mary Ward fulfilled her own prophecy that women in time would “do much”.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
