A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 4. (Szeged, 2001)

PÁL József: A Szegedi Katolikus Nővédő Egyesület (1909-1908)

JÓZSEF PÁL THE SZEGED CATHOLIC LEAGUE FOR THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN 1909-1918 The Szeged Catholic League for the Protection of Women, which was established from the movement for the patronage of girls on August 24, 1909, was not only the first charity organisation initiated by the Catholic Church in Szeged, but with its almost 900 members it was also the largest. It carried out a wide range of activities, covering almost every field in the protection of women: infant care, the protection of small children, the provision of aid for girls who had transgressed, the protection of adolescent girls, and support for mothers. In addition to these activities it found the strength to carry out welfare and charity work, provide spiritual guidance, and even successfully fulfil the tasks imposed on it by the war: the maintenance of the Officers' Hospital, the provision of help and care for refugees from Transylvania and for the family members of those who had fought in the war. The league obtained the sources of funds for these activities, which demanded a great financial outlay, partly with the support of state organisations and partly from collections, donations from private individuals, special fund-raising events and the collection of membership fees. However, we should not forget the self-sacrificing work which was carried out by the members of the league in solving the above tasks.