The Catholic Women’s League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga was founded over 90 years ago and since then, its members have played a dynamic role on the local, national and international stage.  The work of the League is dedicated to the Holy Spirit and Our Lady, Help of Christians.

In July 1916, in the midst of World War I, a small group of visionary young women were given the impetus by Father William Lockington S.J. to form an organisation of lay Catholic women to create a more just society and bring Catholic principles to bear upon legislative and administrative bodies. On 1 October 1916, more than 2000 women attended the first meeting of the Catholic Women’s Social Guild, as it was then known.

The League’s first Central Committee included ground-breaking professional women such as Dr Eileen FitzGerald, who later became the Chief Medical Officer for the Education Department of Victoria; Anna Brennan, the first Victorian-born women admitted into legal practice; Maud O’Connell, a trade unionist and social worker who later founded the Company of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament (known as the Grey Sisters); Julia Flynn, who later became Chief Inspector of Victorian Secondary Schools; K. Coffey, R. McNamara, E. Mantach, G. Opie, M. Larkin and E.J. Murphy. 

DR MARY GLOWREY, SISTER MARY OF THE SACRED HEART

The inaugural President of the League was Mary Glowrey, a gifted young doctor whose actions were grounded in an understanding of the absolute inviolability of human life.  In 1920, Mary left her thriving career as an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Surrendering herself completely to God’s will, Mary sailed for India to become a medical missionary with the Congregation of the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph in Guntur.  Pope Pius XI bestowed a special blessing on her medical mission work and Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart, as Mary Glowrey was then known, became the first nun-doctor missionary. 

Dr Mary Glowrey was said to radiate Christ by word and example. The poor were the people of her choice and incurable patients had a special place in her heart. Mary never attempted anything without praying to the Holy Spirit, knowing that with the help of the Holy Spirit all things are possible. For the last two years of her life, she shouldered the Cross of excruciating physical pain brought upon by cancer which she bore with extraordinary courage and patience. The sisters who witnessed her apostolate of suffering have described the calm, serene joy radiating from Mary’s face, which struck all who approached her.  Dr Mary Glowrey died on Sunday, 5 May, 1957.  

Throughout her extraordinary life and death, Mary Glowrey so corresponded with God’s grace that she has become an authentic witness to hope.   In her very person, Mary Glowrey makes present to us in a visible, tangible way, the true dignity of humanity and the calling of love that is the vocation of every man, woman and child. Her capacity to galvanise a new generation into action in the service of life and the protection of the weakest in our midst, retains a freshness and a potency which transcends the barriers imposed by culture, time and history.

The beautiful prayer for the cause of Dr Mary Glowrey was written by Fr Dan Strickland from the Missionaries of God’s Love (MGLs) and granted a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur on 23 June 2008.   The League trusts that the Lord will inspire many people to pray for the cause of Mary Glowrey and that her life of holiness will be acknowledged by the Church.  If you would like a copy of the prayer for the cause for Mary Glowrey, please contact our General Secretary at cwlvicw@bigpond.com

OUR WORK TODAY

Many of the special works begun by Dr Mary Glowrey and her colleagues continue to this day.  The League now operates from Mary Glowrey House in Fitzroy and, has branches throughout Victoria and Wagga Wagga. This facility also provides short-term, low-cost accommodation for people from rural areas undergoing medical treatment or visiting relatives in city hospitals. The League’s monthly magazine, The Horizon, has been in continuous publication since 1916.  If you would like to subscribe to The Horizon, please contact our General Secretary at cwlvicw@bigpond.com 

Addressing social justice and ethical questions remains one of the primary tasks of the Catholic Women’s League. It also continues to seek to influence legislative and administrative bodies at all levels of government in order to preserve the dignity of the human person.  The League also sows economic and social wealth into communities by assisting women and children with food, shelter, education, training and micro-credit.

Please contact our General Secretary at cwlvicw@bigpond.com if you would like to become a member of the League or start a new branch at your parish, school, university campus or workplace.

ANIMA EDUCATION

The League nurtures alliances with other groups and has recently entered into a partnership with Anima, a network founded by young women to support and inspire each other. One of the many blessings arising from the burgeoning relationship between Anima and the League has been the running of a number of wonderful Adult Education courses at Mary Glowrey House and also in Ballarat. 

For information about upcoming Anima Education courses please call Joan Clements on (03) 9926 5733 or send an e-mail to jclements@melbourne.catholic.org.au

MORE THAN TEA AND CAKE

The inspiring story of the Catholic Women’s League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga and its founder, Dr Mary Glowrey, has been beautifully told in a short documentary by award-winning young filmmaker Russell Brown.  Using interviews and rare archival photographs, More Than Tea and Cake takes you on a journey that starts with a gathering of more than two thousand women at Cathedral Hall in Fitzroy in 1916, leads to Dr Mary Glowrey’s life of witness and hope and, explores the role played by the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) in one of the greatest international declarations. 

To order a copy of the DVD, More Than Tea and Cake, please send your details and a money order or cheque for $10 to the:

General Secretary
Catholic Women’s League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga
Mary Glowrey House
132-134 Nicholson St
Fitzroy, VIC, 3065

Funds raised from the sale of the DVD will help to promote the cause of Dr Mary Glowrey and the dignity of the human person.

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