GIRL POWER
Mary Ward may not exactly be a household name, but to students and teachers at the seven Loreto schools across Australia, she is both an inspiration and a role model.
The 17th-century religious sister was both a pioneering feminist and a deeply devout advocate of education for girls. In spite of often deep opposition from the Catholic Church, Pope Pius X, his cardinals and male religious orders, Mary remained steadfast in her mission to bring “justice, equality and healing to the world through education and other means congruous to the times”. Born in England at the time of William Shakespeare and Elizabeth I, she founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM, also known as the Loreto Sisters) and established schools all over England and Europe. At one stage in her campaign she and
