Sr. Sarah Rudolph is a Loretto Sister and the director of the Mary Ward Centre, a ministry of the Loretto Sisters focused on education, justice and spirituality. One of her areas of work is children’s rights advocacy, including the rights of girls and fostering girls’ participation at the United Nations through the CJ/IBVM NGO to the UN. She has a deep love for Ignatian spirituality and shares it through a monthly women’s prayer group and outreach to women who have experienced homelessness through the Ignatian Spirituality Project.
Motivated by Love
“I was so apt for friendship and ever loved more than ordinary.”
These words of Mary Ward (1585–1645), founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly known as the Loretto Sisters, written in the 17th century, have a rich resonance for her companions today. As a member of the Loretto Sisters, these words remind me that Mary Ward Women are relational women committed to a deep relationship with God and others, motivated by love, as the driving force that urges us on in mission. Mary’s capacity for loving friendship, and for working with others for the sake of mission, offer an enduring inspiration.
Her early companions were diverse. They are often remembered in this image from The Painted Life of Mary Ward, the open circle of friends—(right to left) Mary Ward, Winefrid Wigmore, Susanna Rookwood, Catherine Smith, Jane Browne, and Mary Poyntz. These women were the first to join her in religious life, however, her circle of friends extended far beyond the members of her Institute, and included religious and political figures, and members of European monarchy. Among her closest companions were her dear friends, Robert Wright and Henry Lee (Lee referred to Mary as his “best friend”), who journeyed with her from Flanders, across the Alps, to Rome.
What does Mary Ward’s extraordinary capacity for love and friendship have to do with the Loretto Sisters and their relationship with St. Mike’s?
The bond of love and friendship for mission and service to the Church, the academy, and the common good, has existed between the Loretto Sisters and St. Mike’s for over a century. The establishment of Loretto College, from its first foundation at the Loretto Abbey Motherhouse on Wellington Street to the residence building today on St. Mary Street, is closely connected to the evolution of St. Mike’s.
In January 1911, a historic federation between the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Michael’s College, and the Loretto Sisters was formed to create the official Catholic College of the University of Toronto. The Loretto Sisters provided not only a residence for women pursuing advanced education but also professors for Classics, Modern Languages, and Philosophy classes which were given in their own College building. The motto of Loretto College, Veritas fons Lucis et Caritas, or “Truth is the source of light and charity” complements the Basilian motto of St. Mike’s, Bonitatem et disciplinam et scientiam doce me, which means “Teach me goodness, discipline and knowledge.” Our institutions are committed to education for the good of the human person, for the Church, and for the world. We strive to form men and women who pursue truth, are dedicated to the attainment of Christian virtue, and are able to meet the challenges of the contemporary world.
From these beginnings have emerged generations of friendship and partnership between St. Mike’s and the Loretto Sisters. Sisters have studied at St. Mike’s, taught courses, served as chaplains, and ministered to students through the residences. This friendship and partnership, however, is not simply one for the history books. Today there continues to be strong collaboration through Loretto College and the Mary Ward Centre. We have shared interests and collaborate on interfaith dialogue. We participated together in a recent initiative at St. Basil’s Parish on Indigenous relations in the Church. And through Campus Ministry, we are actively working together to engage students in a process of listening and conversation for the 2023 Synod on Synodality.
While a student at Regis College, I had the privilege of working closely with colleagues at St. Mike’s on the Regis-USMC federation process. I prayed with students from St. Mike’s, journeying together through the Ignatian First Spiritual Exercises. I worked collaboratively with St. Mike’s students on events, and of course, I was fortunate to take theology courses through the Faculty of Theology. Each of these experiences has given me insight into our valued partnership, rooted in loving friendship and a desire for service.
As the Loretto Sisters and our Sisters in the Congregation of Jesus celebrate Mary Ward this week, giving thanks for her birth on January 23 (1585) and her death on January 30 (1645), we are also celebrating the joy of mission shared with centuries of companions, friends, and collaborators. We invite our friends at St. Mike’s to celebrate with us, to share in the reality of one woman’s vision and her desire to do all for the greater glory of God.
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