Bruno Duriez, Olivier Rota, and Catherine Vialle, eds., Femmes catholiques, femmes engagées: France, Belgique, Angleterre, XXe siècle, Villeneuve d’Ascq: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, 2019, pp. 205, €22, ISBN: 9782757428597

Abstract

Unsurprisingly, as she explains, ‘neither the practice of charity nor their relationship with Church and state have had identical or unambiguous meanings’. It is more accurate to describe their work as care than welfare because care was a primary component of the residential homes and training institutions they ran, the social support they provided, and the home visitations and the pastoral parish work they undertook. Providing clarity on this point enables O’Brien to integrate the Scottish dimension effectively and in this she stands apart from most works on Catholic women living in community in Britain and Ireland. Finally, it is important to highlight the long-overdue correction that O’Brien makes to understandings of the term missionary. Contrary to popular opinion, particularly in clerical circles, being a missionary was not the preserve of priests and brothers. The work of female Catholic missionaries was transformative for the Catholic Church and in many respects it was the Daughters of Charity who led the charge. While O’Brien offers an invaluable foundation of information about their missionary work, she admits that this aspect of their work requires a separate history, one that can explore their influence in much more depth. This weighty book is a tour de force and O’Brien deserves much congratulations for undertaking what can only be described as a truly mammoth task. In mapping out the complex history of a group of women who became a lynchpin in the infrastructure of Catholic care provision, she has made a much-needed contribution to the historiography of the Catholic Church in Britain and Ireland. If the historical experience of women religious is to be taken seriously, and it must be, then it is imperative that communities reach out to professional historians whose training prevents them from a hagiographic drift. This book is meticulously-researched and sound, and in approaching O’Brien to write their history, the Daughters selected one of the field’s most capable scholars. Thanks to this book, we are that bit closer to understanding just how foundational women, lay and religious, were to extending the mission of the Catholic Church.