The young women in this photo are members of a Catholic organisation, a sodality called the Children of Mary, for girls aged 10 to 18, dedicated to good works in the name of the Virgin Mary. The sodality was instituted in Paris in 1835 by Saint Catherine Laboure, and formalised by Pope Pius IX in 1931. It became a worldwide organisation in 1947, and is still active today. The girls in the picture are wearing Children of Mary regalia: a light-blue cape, white net veils and a "miraculous medal" worn on a blue ribbon. This medal and ribbon can be seen around the necks of the three women in the front row. They are shown outside of St Patrick's Cathedral in Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North.

Group of Women at St Patrick's Cathedral
Identification
- Object type
- Image
- Digitisation ID
- 2012N_ELMAR-4_006389
- Title
- Group of Women at St Patrick's Cathedral
- Held In
- Coolstore
Creation
- Created By
- Elmar Studios, 459 Main Street, Palmerston North
- Place
- Unknown
- Date
- 1940s
Object rights
- Credit Line
- Palmerston North City Library
- License
- Attribution + NonCommercial
Taxonomy
- Community Tags
User comments