Throughout the centuries, the devotion to and the veneration of the Virgin Mary led to several Roman Catholic Marian Movements and Societies. These societies form part of the fabric of Roman Catholic Mariology. In the mid-16th century, the Holy See endorsed the Sodality of Our Lady. A few decades later, in 1584, Pope Gregory XIII issued a Papal Bull commending it and establishing it as the ‘Prima Primaria,’ the head source of indulgences for other sodalities of Our Lady.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw many missionary Marian organizations such as the Company of Mary, the Marianists, the Marist Fathers, and the Marist Brothers. The 20th century witnessed further expansion with the formation of Marian societies, such as the Legion of Mary and the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima.

In 1940s Ireland, Marian sodalities, such as the Sodality of Our Lady, boasted upwards of 250,000 members. Young girls signed promissory notes pledging to uphold the core values of:

• Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
• Daily recitation of the Rosary and
• Righteous observance of the duties of one’s vocation.

The children were also to wear a blue ribbon or medal to remember the promise.

Growing up in Ireland in the 1940s, our mother was a member of the Sodality of Our Lady. Below is an image of the Sodality Manual and Marian Medal commemorating her devotion to Mary.

On the first page of this Manual is a brief history explaining the origins of the Sodality. The foundation began in 1563 with a young Belgian Jesuit, Father John Leunis, who sought to inspire his young male pupils to be: 

“A Knight of Our Lady – her perpetual servant – to be worthy of her. To put on her white armour; to be a Galahad with the strength of ten – here was a high aim – a star to guide them through the storms of life.”

The wording in this passage is curious. References to armor and knights, specifically Sir Galahad, allude to the intersection between Catholicism and the Arthurian Legends. One link between the Legends of Arthur and the Catholic Church was Chivalry (the oaths of a knight). The church’s teachings were often the basis on which Arthur made all his knights take these oaths. Knights were to remain loyal to the church and always obey its teachings and direction in defense of the church. Sir Galahad is worthy enough to have the Grail revealed to him and to ascend into Heaven. He is renowned for his gallantry and purity as the most perfect of all knights. 

The passage is also reminiscent of a “call to arms,” commanding the boys to don Our Lady’s “white armour.” Sir Galahad is known as the “White Knight” after receiving a holy white shield from a mysterious knight in glistening white armor.

Perhaps, Father Leunis was seeking to inspire these young boys by using the chivalrous knights as models of devotion.

Interestingly, from 1584 – 1751 membership in the Sodality was exclusively male. It was only in 1751 that Pope Benedict XIV gave leave to aggregate Soladites of married women and girls.