St. Joan's International Alliance

Last updated

St. Joan's International Alliance is a non profit women's organization. St. Joan's is a feminist Catholic organization, with a focus on women's equality. It is named after St. Joan of Arc. [1] The organization has played a major role in influencing the ordination of women and general human rights. [2] Their mission is "to secure the political, social and economic equality between men and women and to further the work and usefulness of Catholic women as citizens". [3]

Contents

History

The Catholic Women's Suffrage Society

The organization was founded in London, England in 1911 as the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society, with a focus on organizing Catholic women in England to support women's suffrage. [4]

Founding

Prior to the founding of the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society, Catholic suffragettes had participated in other suffrage organizations, such as the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), the Women's Freedom League (WFL), and the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). [5]

The roots of the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society began when young Catholic suffragettes Gabrielle Jeffery and May Kendall met on 8 December 1910, coincidentally the date of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Jeffery and Kendall met while waiting outside Holloway Prison to welcome the release of imprisoned suffragettes, [6] a common practice for the WSPU in England at the time. Jeffery and Kendall developed the idea of creating a Catholic women's suffrage organization to bring together Catholics, male and female, to work towards women's suffrage. [7] Together with seven other Catholic suffragists, they held their first meeting on 25 March 1911 and created the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society. [7] Early members of the CWSS, in addition to Jeffery and Kendall, included Florence Barry, Beatrice Gadsby, Christine O’Connor, Smyth Pigott, Monica Whately, and Kathleen Fitzgerald, who was appointed first chairman of the Society. The purpose of the Society was “to band together Catholics of both sexes, in order to secure the Parliamentary vote on the same terms as it is, or may be granted to men." [7]

The Catholic Women's Suffrage Society chose for its colours blue, gold, and white: blue representing Mary the mother of Christ, and gold and white in reference to the papacy of the Catholic church. [8] [7] In addition, the CWSS chose Joan of Arc as their patron. [4]

While the CWSS was founded in London, additional branches were later created throughout United Kingdom. The first branch outside of London was founded in 1911 in Hastings in East Sussex. In the next several years, other branches sprung up in Liverpool, Brighton, Plymouth, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Wakefield, Oxford, and Oldham, as well as some Scottish branches. [7]

Catholicism and Women's Suffrage

The CWSS sought to promote and improve the perception of women's suffrage among Catholics in England. Catholic opinion on women's suffrage was mixed, among both clergy and laypeople. Early on, the Society sought the approval of prominent Catholic clergy, and also worked with other Catholic organizations.  For example, in December 1911, the CWSS wrote to prominent members of the Catholic clergy, including the Archbishop of Westminster, asking them to consider the social, moral, and religious importance of extending the right to vote to women. [5] Also, starting in 1911, the CWSS started sending representatives to the National Catholic Congress. [4]

The CWSS also worked to challenge anti-suffrage sentiments among Catholic clergy. The Reverend Henry Day, for example, opposed women's suffrage and denied the equality of men and women, and was often quoted in the press. In response, the members of the CWSS gathered and passed out CWSS leaflets outside the churches where he preached in Manchester and Liverpool, and also denounced Day's words by writing to the press. [5]

Activities

Soon after its founding, the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society quickly began participating in the women's suffrage movement. On 17 June 1911 the CWSS joined with other women's suffrage organizations in the Women's Coronation Procession. Around eighty members of the CWSS participated in the procession, many representing Catholic societies and wearing religious medals and ribbons. [5] In 1912, the CWSS joined a demonstration of religious suffrage organizations in a demonstration at Trafalgar Square. [4]

The CWSS, like other suffrage organizations, adopted a stance on militancy, a controversial and divisive issue for many suffragists. The Society decided to be non-partisan and non-militant, focusing instead on constitutional methods. [5] Militant members were allowed to join, on the condition that their militant actions did not represent the CWSS. [5] While the Society itself remained committed to non-militant actions, they refused to denounce militant suffragettes, and in fact condemned the mistreatment of imprisoned suffragettes, especially the practice of force-feeding suffragettes on hunger strike. [4]

Unlike some groups that suspended their direct efforts at suffrage during World War I, the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society continued to work towards women's suffrage in England. The CWSS's Annual Report in 1914 states, “it rests with us to see that the position of women is not worse after the war than it was before.” [5] Beginning in 1915, the CWSS created its own journal, the Catholic Suffragist, first edited by Leonora de Alberti, which openly promoted women's suffrage and equal rights. [5] [4]

Post World War I

In 1918, the Representation of the People Act granted suffrage to British women over the age of thirty. [5] In celebration, the CWSS organized a Mass of Thanksgiving at Westminster Cathedral on 17 February 1918. [5] [7] Catholic and non-Catholic suffragists attended, including Millicent Fawcett and Margaret Nevinson. [5] However, while they celebrated the partial suffrage victory, the CWSS continued to work towards full suffrage for all women, and for women's rights in general. This included issues such as women's representation in national organizations, equal pay for men and women's work, and women holding political office. The CWSS also changed the name of its journal from the Catholic Suffragist to the Catholic Citizen. [5]

The CWSS also began to focus on international organizations and issues, such as international women's suffrage and international Catholicism. In 1920, the CWSS sent delegates to the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in Switzerland. [5] Later that same year, the CWSS met with American and international suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt, who stated, “practically the whole world had been won to suffrage with the exception of the Latin Catholic countries,” and encouraged the members to help Catholic women all over the world. [5]

St. Joan's International Alliance

As of 1923, the organization had members in 5 continents in 24 countries. That year it changed its name to St. Joan's Social and Political Alliance (SJSPA). [5] The organization presented a paper about "the Condition of Women," to the League of Nations in 1937. That paper is considered an influence on International matrimonial law. [2] St. Joan's was the first group in Catholicism to work for women priests. [9]

The first chapter in Australia was founded in 1946, in New South Wales. Additional Australia chapters started in 1950 and the first Australian conference was held in 1951 in Sydney. Enid Lyons was the Victoria, Australia founding president. [3] The first German chapter was founded in 1950, starting in West Germany with approximately 50 members. [10] In 1952, the organization was placed on consultative status with the United Nations, triggered by the organizations involvement in a discussion with the United Nations about female castration. The organization also became involved in anti-slavery and anti-human trafficking causes. [2] At that time, the United Kingdom founding chapter was known as the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Section of the St Joan's International Alliance. [3]

In 1977, The Catholic Citizen was published in English and French. They also publish materials in Spanish. Since 1967, the organization has issued resolutions following women and human rights focused declarations by the Vatican. St. Joan's also influenced the Catholic community in Canada to approve of the ordination of women in 1971. [2] Collections and archives related to the organization are held in the Women's Library. [1]

Notable members

Notable members included Alaskan lawyer and politician Dorothy Awes Haaland, who served as president of the Alaskan chapter. [11] Mary Tenison Woods, Anna Maria Dengel, Mary Daly, Elizabeth Farians, Enid Lyons, Ida Raming, and Patricia Woodlock were also a members. [2] [12] [13]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Social and Political Union</span> UK movement for womens suffrage, 1903–1918

The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and policies were tightly controlled by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. Sylvia was eventually expelled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies</span> Organisation of womens suffrage societies in the United Kingdom

The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the suffragists was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In 1919 it was renamed the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence</span> British activist (1867–1954)

Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, Baroness Pethick-Lawrence was a British women's rights activist and suffragette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mud March (suffragists)</span> 1907 demonstration by suffragists in London

The United Procession of Women, or Mud March as it became known, was a peaceful demonstration in London on 9 February 1907 organised by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), in which more than three thousand women marched from Hyde Park Corner to the Strand in support of women's suffrage. Women from all classes participated in what was the largest public demonstration supporting women's suffrage seen up to that date. It acquired the name "Mud March" from the day's weather, when incessant heavy rain left the marchers drenched and mud-spattered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom</span>

A movement to fight for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom finally succeeded through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. It became a national movement in the Victorian era. Women were not explicitly banned from voting in Great Britain until the Reform Act 1832 and the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. In 1872 the fight for women's suffrage became a national movement with the formation of the National Society for Women's Suffrage and later the more influential National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). As well as in England, women's suffrage movements in Wales, Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom gained momentum. The movements shifted sentiments in favour of woman suffrage by 1906. It was at this point that the militant campaign began with the formation of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffragette</span> British movement for womens suffrage

A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience. In 1906, a reporter writing in the Daily Mail coined the term suffragette for the WSPU, derived from suffragistα, in order to belittle the women advocating women's suffrage. The militants embraced the new name, even adopting it for use as the title of the newspaper published by the WSPU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church League for Women's Suffrage</span> Organization

The Church League for Women's Suffrage (CLWS) was an organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. The league was started in London, but by 1913 it had branches across England, in Wales and Scotland and Ireland.

The United Suffragists was a women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Abadam</span> Welsh suffragette (1856–1940)

Alice Abadam was a Welsh suffragette, feminist and public speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Phillips (suffragette)</span> English suffragette (1880–1969)

Mary Elizabeth Phillips was an English suffragette, feminist and socialist. She was the longest prison serving suffragette. She worked for Christabel Pankhurst but was sacked; she then worked for Sylvia Pankhurst as Mary Pederson or Mary Paterson. In later life she supported women's and children's organisations.

Jessie Cunningham Methven was a Scottish campaigner for women's suffrage. She was honorary secretary of the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage from the mid 1890s until 1906. In that role, She corresponded regularly with national and local newspapers across Scotland on the subject of women's suffrage. She subsequently joined the more militant Women's Social and Political Union and described herself as an "independent socialist". Methven took part in suffragette protests and was arrested for breaking windows in London in 1911. She wrote an article for The Suffragette newspaper, the weekly newspaper of the WSPU, entitled Women's Suffrage in the Past, A Record of Betrayal which reflected on the history of the women's suffrage movement in Britain.

Elizabethand Agnes Thomson were Scottish suffragettes and members of the Edinburgh branch of the Women's Social and Political Union. They were arrested for their involvement in WSPU protests in Scotland and London. The sisters were involved in the first arson attempt in Scotland as part of the WSPU arson campaign in 1913. Elizabeth was imprisoned for her role and went on hunger strike. She was later released under the Prisoners Act 1913, so-called Cat and Mouse Act. Elizabeth was awarded a Hunger Strike Medal 'for Valour' by the WSPU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Canning</span> British suffragette

Florence Mary Canning was a British suffragette and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Church League for Women's Suffrage.

Alice Morrissey was a British Catholic, socialist leader and suffragette activist from Liverpool, who was imprisoned in the campaign for women's right to vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Mary Crawford</span> British Catholic suffragist, feminist, journalist and author

Virginia Mary Crawford was a British Catholic suffragist, feminist, journalist and author, cited in the publicised Dilke scandal and divorce in 1886, founder of the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janie Terrero</span> British suffragette

Janie Terrero was a militant suffragette who, as a member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), was imprisoned and force-fed for which she received the WSPU's Hunger Strike Medal.

Florence Barry was a British suffragist, member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and leader of the Roman Catholic feminist organisation St. Joan’s International Alliance.

GabrielleViolet Jeffery (1886–1940) was a British suffragist and one of the founders of the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society (1911-1923), predecessor of the St Joan's International Alliance.

References

  1. 1 2 Chris Cook (2 October 2012). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Routledge. p. 378. ISBN   978-1-136-50961-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Pelzer, Anne Marie. "St. Joan's International Alliance: A Short History (1911-1977)". The Journal of St. Joan’s International Alliance. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Francis, Rosemary. "St Joan's International Alliance". Biographies. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mason, Francis M. (October 1986). "The Newer Eve: The Catholic Women's Suffrage Society in England, 1911-1923". Catholic Historical Review. 72 (4).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Clark, Elaine (September 2004). "Catholics and the Campaign for Women's Suffrage in England". Church History. 73 (3): 635–665. doi: 10.1017/S0009640700098322 . S2CID   159517307.
  6. ↑ "Votes for Women! The Catholic Contribution". Diocese of Westminster. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Parnell, Nancy Stewart (1961). A Venture of Faith: A History of St. Joan's Social and Political Alliance, Formerly the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society, 1911-1961. Oxford.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ Florey, Kenneth (2018). "English Suffrage Badges and the Marketing of the Campaign". In Garrett, Miranda; Thomas, Zoe (eds.). Suffrage and the Arts: Visual Culture, Politics, and Enterprise. Bloomsbury.
  9. ↑ "Bridget Mary's Blog: "The 100th Anniversary Celebration of St. Joan's International Alliance" by Janice Sevre-Duszynska". 12 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "Records of the St Joan's International Alliance (German Section)". The Women's Library. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Delegate Dorothy Haaland Dies". Daily Sitka Sentinel. 4 March 1996. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Collection: Papers of Elizabeth Farians, 1880-2013 (inclusive), 1942-2013 (bulk) | HOLLIS for". hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  13. ↑ Eustance, Claire; Ryan, Joan; Ugolini, Laura (1 February 2000). Suffrage Reader: Charting Directions in British Suffrage History. A&C Black. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-7185-0178-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.