Mary Ward[24] (1585-1645) was born of a good Catholic family in England. She joined the Poor Clares at St. Omer in 1600, but, preferring an active to a contemplative life, she gathered around her a few companions, and formed a little community at St. Omer mainly for the work of education. According to her plan, which was derived in great measure from the constitution of the Society of Jesus (hence the name Jesuitesses given to her followers by her opponents), her sisters were not bound by the enclosure, were not to wear any distinctive dress, and were to be subject directly only to Rome. Serious objections were raised immediately against such an institute, particularly as Pius V. had declared expressly that the enclosure and solemn vows were essential conditions for the recognition of religious communities of women. Branches were opened in the Netherlands, Austria, and Italy under the patronage of the highest civil authorities. As the opponents of the community continued their attacks the foundress was summoned to Rome to make her defence (1629), but in the following year the decree of suppression was issued. The house in Munich was allowed to continue, and at the advice of the Pope she opened a house in Rome. The principal change introduced was that the houses should be subject to the bishops of the dioceses in which they were situated. At last in 1703, on the petition of Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria and of Mary the wife of James II., the rule was approved formally by Clement XI. The society continued to spread especially in Bavaria. The followers of Mary Ward are designated variously, the Institute of Mary, Englische Fraulein, and Loreto Nuns from the name given to Rathfarnham, the mother-house of the Irish branch, founded by Frances Ball in 1821. ---------- [1] /Histoire du Ven Didier de la Cour, reformateur des Benedictins/, 1772. [2] De Lama, /Bibliotheque des ecrivains de la congregation de St. Maur/, 1882. [3] Da Forli, /Annali Cappuccini/, 1882. [4] Dumortier, /Saint Gaetan di Thiene/, 1882. [5] Dubois, /Le bienheureux A. M. Zaccaria fondateur des Barnabites/, 1896. [6] Sylvain, /Histoire de St. Charles Borromee/, 3 vols., 1884. [7] Perraud, /L'Oratoire de France au XVIIe et au XVIIIe siecle/. [8] Perraud, /L'Oratoire de France au XVIIe et au XVIIIe siecle/, 1866. [9] Girard, /La vie de St. Jean de Dieu/, 1691. [10] Hubert, /Der hl. Joseph Calasanza, stifter der frommen Schulen/, 1886. [11] Ravelet-O'Meara, /The Life of the Blessed John Baptist de la Salle/, 1888. Lucard, /Annales de l'Institut des Freres des Ecoles Chretiennes/, 1883. [12] Paris became an archiepiscopal See in 1622. [13] Lorti, /Saint Vincent de Paul et sa mission sociale/, 1880. [14] Degert, /Histoire des seminaires francais/, 1912. [15] Faillon, /Vie de M. Olier/, 3 vols., 1873. Thompson, /Life of Jean Jacques Olier/.