National Council of Catholic Women
Lay women associations have a long history in the Catholic Church. One such organization is the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW). Unlike other female groups, the NCCW was founded in 1920 as part of the National Catholic Welfare Council, a predecessor to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.[1]
Hometown Saint: Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Philadelphia
On March 19, 1889, Katharine Drexel decided to found a new order to advance the cause of Native-American and African-American education. On February 12, 1891, Katharine pronounced her vows as the first member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. She added one vow to
Mary Brackett Willcox and Catholicism in the Suburbs
A New England Puritan becomes a prominent and influential Catholic in the Diocese of Philadelphia. An unlikely story but one that happened to Mary Brackett. Mary was born in 1796 in Massachusetts to Captain James Brackett and Elizabeth Odiorne.[1] In 1819, she married James Mark Willcox from Ivy Mill, PA.[2]
Catholic Interracial Council
In the 1930s, there was a growing interest in cooperation between white and black Catholics to work against prejudice and towards interracial justice. This led to the creation of the Catholic Interracial Council of New York in 1934 by Father John LaFarge, S.J.[1] LaFarge hoped that local chapters would be