Mary Ward’s understanding of freedom flowed from her personal relationship with God and her belief that each one of us, in our ordinary experience of life, has access to God’s loving care. This is the truth that set us free. It is an inner freedom, an acceptance of self, an openness to and with others, and a trust in life.

God of Freedom, give us the courage and confidence
to live like God.

May we learn to know ourselves,
and be hopeful for others.

May we grow in inner freedom,
and share this gift together.

May we say yes to the freedom of life,
and choose the good each day.

Grounded in our Loreto story,
and by the faith of Mary Ward,
may we act not out of fear but out of love,
answering her call with justice,
to bring the gift of freedom to our world.

We make this prayer in the name of Jesus,
who leads us with love and shows us how to be truly free.

Amen.

Justice, as Mary Ward describes, involves personal integrity based on harmonious relationships with God, with other people, and with the whole of creation. It is expressed in “works of justice”, in active participation in the struggle to bring about such harmony. We are challenged “to be seekers of truth and doers of justice”.

Sincerity is our communication and relationship with others – an essential characteristic of the personal integrity Mary Ward envisaged. Her ideal was that “we should be such as we appear and appear such as we are”.

Closely linked to sincerity is Mary Ward’s concept of verity. For her it means integrity and truth, particularly the profound truth of who we are and what gives meaning to our lives, a truth that centres fundamentally on the gift of life and mystery of God.

Felicity is an attitude of mind, a disposition of the heart which manifests itself in cheerfulness, good humour, joy, happiness, hope, optimism, friendliness, courtesy, positive thinking, inner peace, self-acceptance, and courage.