Julian of Norwich

Julian of Norwich had much in common with Ann Bronte, and I believe she's someone we should all be aware of.

She was an English Saint who lived shortly before the Protestant Reformation.

Her memory is honored by both the Church of England, and the Roman communion (on the 8th of May by the English Church, and on May 13th by Rome.)

According to the Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia:

Although she lived in a time of turmoil, Julian's theology was optimistic, speaking of God's love in terms of joy and compassion as opposed to law and duty. For Julian, suffering was not a punishment that God inflicted, but was a means he used to draw us closer to himself. This was different from the prevailing views of her time, which typically saw afflictions like the Plague as divine punishment. Because of her intimations that beyond the reality of hell-fire is yet a greater mystery of God's love, she has also been referred to as a proto-universalist.

Her great saying, "Sin is behovely, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well", reflects this theology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich

Her most important work, "The Revelations of Divine Love," was the first book written by a woman to be published in English, and was written after a close encounter with death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelations_of_Divine_Love