Honouring Mary Ann Lundy: A Legacy of Courage, Conviction and Generosity
The World YWCA remembers Mary Ann Lundy (1932–2025), a visionary faith leader, feminist theologian, and tireless advocate for justice and equality.
In 2025, through a generous bequest made by her husband, Donald J. Wilson, Mary Ann once again put her convictions into action by supporting the work of the World YWCA. This final act of generosity reflects the same commitment that defined her life’s work: empowering women to lead with compassion, strength, and purpose.
Across her remarkable career, Mary Ann wove together faith, activism, and leadership in pursuit of a more just world. From her early years as a teacher and Presbyterian minister to her global advocacy for women’s rights and peace, she inspired countless others to follow suit.
As World YWCA CEO/General Secretary Casey Harden reflects, “Mary Ann lived her faith through action and with definitive and incorrigible courage and conviction. She lived as though a more just world was inevitable.”
In 1982, Mary Ann became the Director of the National Student Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in the United States, where she championed women’s leadership and helped bridge faith-based and grassroots activism. Her leadership extended beyond the YWCA into the global ecumenical sphere, where she continued to uplift the voices of women within the church and society.
A pioneer of the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s, she risked personal safety to protect refugees fleeing violence in Central America. Later, as Director of Women’s Ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she chaired the U.S. committee for the Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women (1983–1993), a landmark global effort aligned with the World Council of Churches. This led to her co-founding the groundbreaking Re-Imagining Conference (1993), which brought together more than 2,200 international delegates. The Re-imagining Conference was named the “most significant religious gathering in 50 years” by the Christian Century and honoured in international religious journals. It was, nevertheless, controversial in several denominations, but especially in Presbyterian circles, due to the forward-thinking views that emerged from the gathering.
In 1995, Mary Ann was appointed Deputy General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, based in Geneva, a role through which she strengthened partnerships between women’s movements, faith communities, and multilateral institutions. While in this position, she travelled extensively, served as liaison to the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, and chaired the planning for the 1995 World Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her leadership at the global level built bridges across denominations and generations, opening doors for women’s participation in decision-making and dialogue worldwide.
Mary Ann’s lifelong advocacy for gender equality and peace deeply resonated with the mission of the World YWCA, a movement she served with vision and heart.
We give thanks for the life and legacy of Mary Ann Lundy: a woman of courage, intellect, and unwavering faith. Her voice continues to inspire the generations of women leaders rising within the YWCA movement and beyond.
Mary Ann Lundy with Robyn Cousin (middle) and Mercedes Marquez (right) in 2013.
Mary Ann’s story reminds us how one act of generosity can echo for generations. If you would like to explore how your own legacy could support women’s leadership through the World YWCA, please get in touch with us at worldoffice@worldywca.org.