Abstract

Katharine Harmon explores the intersection of the interwar Liturgical Movement with three forms of female lay initiative, the National Council for Catholic Women, the Catholic intellectual revival promoted by Maisie Ward and the Grail. The development of the theology of the Mystical Body of Christ served as a means by which Catholic laywomen, hitherto confined to a restricted sphere of religious activities at the parish level and in the family home, were able to enter upon a much wider sphere of action. The Liturgical Movement thus helped promote greater freedom of action for Catholic women and paved the way for their greater participation in later initiatives such as the Christian Family Movement.

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