Catholic Women's Guild archives
Abstract
The Catholic Women’s Guild (CWG) is Hawaii’s oldest active lay Catholic organization and traces its history back through several organizations to 1859. These former organizations are: Hawaiian Catholic Association, women's auxiliary; Catholic Ladies' Benevolent Society; Catholic Benovolent Society; Catholic Ladies' Aid Society; Catholic Women's Aid Society. In 1946, the St. Francis Hospital Guild was dissolved and became part of the CWG.
The Guild’s charitable activities have addressed a wide array of community social needs for over 150 years.
The Catholic Women’s Guild Archives contains constitutions and by-laws; annual reports; reports of presidents, treasurers and committees; board and members meeting minutes; membership lists; financial reports, bank statements and tax returns; documentation of activities and charitable grants; photographs, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks; and histories of the Guild and its predecessor organizations.
In 2004, archivist Charlene Alipio prepared an inventory for about half the Archives. In 2011-2012, archivist Ellen Chapman inventoried the rest, processed all the collection, merged the two Folder Lists, and prepared this Finding Aid.
Dates
- Creation: 1859-2010
Restrictions
Material with personal information may be redacted by the Archives staff. Some fragile items may need to be handled by the staff only.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in this collection, their descendants, or the repository if copyright has been signed over, as stipulated by United States copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user to determine any copyright restrictions, obtain written permission, and pay any fees necessary for the reproduction or proposed use of the materials.
Brief History
Brief History
The Catholic Women’s Guild (CWG) is Hawaii’s oldest active lay Catholic organization and traces its recorded history through several organizations to 1859.
From monarchy to republic to territory to statehood, from the 19th through the 21st centuries, the Guild and its predecessor organizations have been active in a wide sweep of Hawai‘i history. From the beginning through today, the charitable work of the Guild parallels local history across more than 150 years. The organization has addressed the challenges of orphans; Honolulu’s bubonic plague outbreak and great Chinatown fire of 1900; the founding of the Catholic Diocese, the arrival of sisters and clergy from Europe and the United States; world wars; dental health of school children; and a wide variety of other social needs.
The first manifestation of what became the Catholic Women’s Guild appears to have been an auxiliary or sister organization of the Hawaiian Catholic Association, a men’s society. In the HCA’s Treasurer’s report dated 1859 there is a mention of the women’s group having been formed, but there is no record of the name under which it functioned.
From 1890 until 1901 it was called the Catholic Ladies’ Benevolent Society and at times it was referred to as just the Catholic Benevolent Society.
On January 11, 1901 the name was changed to Catholic Ladies’ Aid Society and on June 4, 1926 it became the Catholic Women’s Aid Society.
The St. Francis Hospital Guild (1926-1946) was dissolved and formally accepted as part of the Catholic Women’s Aid Society on February 25, 1946.
In September 1949 the name Catholic Women’s Guild was adopted.
Article III of the 1993 Articles of Incorporation outlines the purposes of the Guild.
a. To foster and encourage the spirit of service among Catholic women
b. To assist in charitable and welfare services
c. To assist Catholic institutions through financial and personal service
d. To assist civic groups that are concerned with the welfare of the general community
The Guild’s patron saint is St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
Its motto is from St. Paul – “Charity is the Bond of Perfection.”
For more information:
Catholic Women’s Guild
P.O. Box 10284
Honolulu, HI 96816
Extent
12 Linear Feet
Language
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These records were donated to the Library by the Catholic Women's Guild in November 2011.
Physical Description
There are 21 five-inch document cases and 2 large flat boxes.
Acknowledgments
The Catholic Women’s Guild and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Library are grateful for a generous grant from the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities to process the Guild’s archives, a valuable part of Hawai‘i’s history, and to make it available to researchers.
This grant supported the
• organization of the archives collection
• transfer of the items to archival folders and boxes, ensuring preservation
• description of the material in the finding aid and folder list
• scanning of major parts of the collection for worldwide access
Many thanks to Catherine Hughes, longtime Catholic Women's Guild treasurer and historian, for preserving and promoting the Archives and to Mary Machado, the Guild’s past President and current Advisory Director, for supporting this project.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Libraries Repository