The year was 1922 and Mackenzie King was prime minister, the Toronto St. Pats won their first Stanley Cup, chicken cost 30 cents per pound and dish soap was 12 cents.
That was also the year when the first Catholic Women’s League (CWL) group began in Moose Jaw at St. Joseph’s Parish. The group supported the church — it opened in 1920 — with numerous fundraisers and engaged in other activities to support the wider community.
A century later, the group is preparing to host a 100th-anniversary celebration to honour the past while looking toward the future.
The five women who make up the organizing committee have planned two events in June to celebrate the CWL’s centennial, explained member Rose Ambrose.
The first event is a tea social and fashion show on Saturday, June 11, in the parish hall at 1064 Third Avenue Northwest. The fashion show will showcase vintage clothing, such as first communion outfits, bridal dresses — including one from 1926 — and baptismal gowns, with one made during the Second World War from old maps.
The show takes place at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Female students from Vanier Collegiate will model the outfits, while there will be a large display featuring more dresses and other memorabilia.
“We have a committee for the fashion show, so we’ve hashed things over and made so many changes. It will be kind of neat,” laughed Ambrose, adding the committee is also producing a brochure with short write-ups about the dresses and outfits.
The second event takes place on Saturday, June 18, with a church service and blessing at 5 p.m. Archbishop Donald Bolan may attend, although that has not been confirmed yet.
“The mass is for the women who started the CWL and carried it on for 100 years. So that’s outlasting a lot of other organizations when you think about it,” said Ambrose.
Laughed committee archivist Joan Murphy, “It is a big deal. And let me tell ya, these are not young chicks doing this big celebration. We’re all a bunch of old crocks.”
The committee has begun to advertise the events and is selling tickets to the tea social and fashion show. Tickets are $20 each, which will allow attendees to receive a plate of homemade treats, sandwiches and fruit.
“The CWL does a lot of things for the community and the church, both financial and spiritual,” added Ambrose.
A historical look
For Murphy, her role has been made easier since someone put together the group’s history from 1922 to 1997. She has then been responsible for researching the group since 2000. She noted that the organization is a prayerful one steeped in tradition.
“It’s been really interesting (researching the history). I have been reading back through the minutes of the last 100 years. It’s amazing what these women have accomplished in our churches,” she said.
Since women usually did not work in the early 20th century, they held numerous bingos, teas, lunches, bake sales and other fundraisers to collect money to help with projects. While each event “raised piddly” amounts of money, the overall amount was large.
The parish took on debt in 1920 to construct the church building, while the CWL’s fundraisers helped pay down those arrears over the years. By 1952, the parish was debt-free — thanks to the support of the women.
“It’s amazing to see what these women (did). So it started out that they’ve had up to 200 women having their little drives and bake sales,” said Murphy.
Since many women moved to Moose Jaw by themselves and needed support, the CWL became an organization that provided a community.
“This society came out of women’s need to have community, and to have sisters that they could depend on when they had a baby, to bring food (or) to make blankets or diapers,” said Murphy. “(And for) the widowed ladies, the women would bring food.”
Other CWL activities over the years included providing Christmas hampers, conducting hospital visits and distributing food for the community.
The two-day centennial celebration is a time of reflection for the CWL, as it looks back at how women’s work has evolved in the church, added Murphy. While some work has changed, other work remains the same, such as interacting with lonely seniors and evangelizing to children and grandchildren.
