Catholic Women's League Sydney

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Catholic Women's League: Our women are still in a league of their own after 90 years

Catholic Weekly (24 August 2003) by Marilyn Rodriguez

Moya Potts Mary Harrold

Moya Potts, Sydney president with former president, Mary Harrold

 

Catholic Women's League Sydney is still going strong after 90 years, just this month hosting its national biennial conference.

From its inception the league was intended to be a voice for women committed to working with men for the good of the Church and the community.

For the past 90 years its members have contributed greatly to their parishes and communities and even made an impact at the international level through the United Nations.

Moya Potts, president of Catholic Women's League Sydney, reflecting on the league's history, said that: "The vision to create an organisation for women to have a voice in society, on issues just as valid today as 90 years ago, (is) humbling and inspiring for my commitment to the Catholic Women's League.

"We are women who enjoy being together and we support each other."

Following are just some highlights of those 90 years.

THE BEGINNINGS
 The Catholic Women's Association was established in Sydney in April 1913 with 100 members headed by Esther Eileen Cannon. It was modelled on the Catholic Women's League, which was founded in England in 1906.

Its first project, a hostel for Catholic girls, opened in June 1914 at Darlinghurst and later moved to Potts Point (it closed in 1934).

Mary 'Queenie' Barlow, later Dame Mary Barlow, was elected chairwoman in 1914; she was president from 1916-1934.

In 1918 the association moved to establish a hall of residence for Catholic women at Sydney University. That became Sancta Sophia College, which remains t today.

Membership grows and international affiliations are forged
During the presidency of Kate Egan (1934-41), the association opened the Catholic Women's Club n King St, Sydney, for meetings and functions.

The association gave assistance to the Aboriginal settlement at Yarra Bay, for a building and materials for children's religious instruction plus a building for Mass.

During World War II the Church formed the Catholic United Services Auxiliary to aid the war effort. In November 1941 the Catholic Women's Association became part of the auxiliary's Legion of Catholic Women under the direction of Mons WP Clark.

Parishes began to form their own legion branches, resulting in 17,000 members by 1948 under president Priscilla MacKinnon.

The Legion Review was launched in 1946 with the then Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Gilroy, on the front cover.

At the war's end the Sydney Legion of Catholic Women initiated affiliation with the International Union of Catholic Women's Leagues (now the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations).

By 1957 the legion had representatives on eight other committees, including the United Nations' committees on the Status of Women, World Health, Pacific Affairs and Mental Health.

It appointed representatives to the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations and the first Congress of the Lay Apostolate held in Rome in 1957.

WELFARE
Bethany Children's Home at Strathfield opened in 1946 - a place of temporary care for children whose mothers were ill or in hospital with another child.

In the same year the legion took on financial responsibility for the Catholic Welfare Bureau, which soon employed two full-time female social workers.

It was responsible in 1947 for raising money to support the Good Samarian Training Centre at Tempe for troubled Catholic women and girls who had been before the courts.

CATHOLIC WOMEN'S LEAGUE
A change of name in 1960 brought the Sydney legion into line with other states.

The Catholic Women's League's aims, said president Phyll Chandler, then were 'to promote the spiritual, cultural and educational interests of Catholic women; to spread the faith by example and works of charity; and tocooperate with other voluntary organisations in community service.

"Women must make their influence felt in every corner of social life which is equally open to the activities of men and women."

Rosemary Goldie, visited Sydney in 1967. She symbolised the new possibilities for women in the Church by being the first layperson to serve in the Vatican bureaucracy.

In 1975 the league became an independent lay organisation with a new constitution.

PROJECTS
From 1959-2000 the annual Cardinal's Dinner raised thousands of dollars for various league projects.

Now fundraising occurs throughout the year for each Project of the Year.

These have included Youth off the Streets, the Josephite Institute of East Timorese Studies, the fledgling Holy Spirit parish at Carnes Hill, and the Mary MacKillop Outreach centre.

In 2003 it is Centacare's Melanie's Program for home-based care for children with severe disabilities.

A VOICE FOR WOMEN TODAY
 In the past 30 years, the Catholic Women's League has provided a Catholic perspective on issues affecting family values, including abortion, euthanasia, land mines and x-rated videos, at local, state and federal levels through its social responsibilities committees.

Through membership of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations, it has a voice at the Vatican and the United Nations.

Note: Information taken from Truly Feminine, Truly Catholic: A history of the Catholic Women's League in the Archdiocese of Sydney 1913-87 by Hilary Carey.