Happy International Women’s Day!
Today, we remember Susanna Wesley (1669-1742), mother of John and Charles Wesley – and of Methodism.
Susanna was married to Samuel Wesley, a clergyman of the Church of England, and her life was characterised by perseverance and religious and intellectual commitment in the face of hardship. In the absence of her husband, Susanna held Sunday afternoon services where she would recite sermons to her children and lead them in song – this regular service began to attract the local Christians more widely and became so popular (with over 200 attendees) as to outdo the official Sunday morning service.Susanna was also the primary source of education for all her children.
She prioritised her daughters’ education in equal measure to her sons’, but was nonetheless limited in her ability to do so by the constraints of the time. In letters to her children, it is evidenced that in addition to the stepping up as an educator, Susanna also assumed the role of a compassionate yet firm spiritual guide. For her, this role was grounded in maternal love as well as a strong sense of independence and vocation which strengthened her authority as a mother and spiritual director. This vocation was nurtured by Susanna’s passion for reading and writing, which were both important ways in which she was able to define herself as a woman against the figures of her father and her husband. As Charles Wallace notes in his book Some Stated Employment of Your Mind: Reading, Writing, and Religion in the Life of Susanna Wesley:
“In her reading Susanna Wesley had again found support to pursue religious duty that at the same time involved innovation, dissent, and a measure of independence within a traditional role.”
Susanna’s commitment to education and religious guidance has left its legacy in Methodism not only due to her crucial influence on John Wesley, but also by demonstrating the capabilities of women and the important place they have always held in both religious and intellectual spheres.