Happy International Women's Day!

Today, March 8, is International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

What better opportunity to recognize the work of the Catholic Women's League in Canada, and all that they do to bring women together and to enhance the role of women in the church.



The 41st annual convention of the Catholic Women's League.  Photograph by Sexton, 1961.

ARCAT Catholic Women's League Accession 2013-006, Box 2.

The Catholic Women's League was founded in 1906 in England and Wales. The first Catholic Women's League in Canada was established in Edmonton in 1912, with the objective to provide protection and support to women and girls, particularly those immigrants seeking work. Other women's groups were then organized across Canada modeled on the League in England.

On June 17, 1920, a meeting of all C.W.L.'s and representatives from other women's groups was held in Montreal, and the Catholic Women's League of Canada was formally established.  There are now over 1300 parish based C.W.L. councils in Canada that continue to come together every year in a national convention. The League's many accomplishments show us the strength in a united group of women.



One of C.W.L.'s many social welfare initiatives has been to help immigrants and refugees in Canada.

  OC26 T17
 Other Collections, Catholic Women's League - Toronto Diocesan Council, Special Campaigns & Projects

 In 1958 the C.W.L. Toronto Archdiocesan Council offered its members a leadership training course through St. Michael's College to help remedy a shortage of trained women leaders in the city. Just one example of how the C.W.L. created opportunities of empowerment for its members.

"Every woman owes it to herself and her organization to TRY" 

  OC26 T17
 Other Collections, Catholic Women's League - Toronto Diocesan Council, Special Campaigns & Projects

The C.W.L. continues to enrich parish communities, support spiritual growth, promote Catholic values, and advocate for social justice.

Today and everyday, let's show our thanks to all the women who contribute to the Church, both in our communities and around the world.

Record of the Week: Members of the Legion of Mary

Tomorrow is International Women's Day.

Let's acknowledge all the women who enrich the work of the Church: women religious; members of lay associations and apostolates (see photos below); those who aim to fulfill their vocations as single women or married women.

Photographs Collection PH32L/02P
Photograph of a Mass for the women members of the Legion of Mary at St. Patrick's Parish, Toronto, ca. 1950s

Photographs Collection PH32L/01P
Photograph of a Mass for the women members of the Legion of Mary, at St. Patrick's Parish, Toronto, ca. 1950s

In Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), the pontiff commented on women in the church:

103. The Church acknowledges the indispensable contribution which women make to society through the sensitivity, intuition and other distinctive skill sets which they, more than men, tend to possess. I think, for example, of the special concern which women show to others, which finds a particular, even if not exclusive, expression in motherhood. I readily acknowledge that many women share pastoral responsibilities with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering new contributions to theological reflection. But we need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church. Because “the feminine genius is needed in all expressions in the life of society, the presence of women must also be guaranteed in the workplace”[72] and in the various other settings where important decisions are made, both in the Church and in social structures.