Mary Ward
1585-1645 17th century Feast day: January 30
Faithfulness to a true intuition, held against misunderstanding and rejection.
Who was Mary Ward?
An Englishwoman of a Catholic family persecuted under Elizabeth, she sought to found for women a free religious life, without enclosure or habit, devoted to teaching and mission, on the model of the Jesuits. Rome condemned her institute and briefly imprisoned her as a heretic. She died without seeing her intuition prevail, though it would go on to spread across the world.
In their own words
There is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things.
I hope in God it will be seen that women in time to come will do much.
Be such as you appear, and appear such as you are.