We, the Sisters of the Congregation of Jesus have, as our inspiration and inheritance, the vision of Mary Ward, who is our Prophetic Foundress (1585-1645).
Mary Ward was born on January 23rd 1585, in Elizabethan England, at the time of the great religious intolerance. As a woman of great faith that she was, she saw the need for a sound religious education for young women who would assume responsibilities in society and in the church, for she said, 'women in time to come will do much'.
A woman of vision, Mary saw the potential of women and the need for their education. In 1609, she left her homeland with a small group of companions to open a school at St. Omer (now in France) where girls were taught reading, writing and sewing, as well as the principles of Christian life. From this modest beginning came Mary Ward's world-wide Congregation, its two branches known today as the Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary [Loretto Sisters]. This work expanded throughout Europe and later in England, She had a passionate love for Integrity, Justice and Freedom and she consistently endeavoured to live out these qualities. She died on 30 January 1645.