Mary Ward (1585–1645) was a courageous English nun who founded the Congregatio Jesu, fought for women's education, and advocated an active religious life without cloister. At the age of 24, she established a community of women religious modeled on the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), allowing them to work actively in the world. Her ideas were considered radical by the Church authorities of the time. She was imprisoned by the English government and the Roman Inquisition, and her congregation was briefly dissolved in 1630. Mary Ward never lost faith in her vocation. She died in 1645, leaving a legacy of education for women and a community now known as the Congregatio Jesu, and her dedication was recognized later, even being called 'a matchless woman' by Pope Pius XII.