Knights, guilds and lay societies
Catholic Daughters of the Americas
CDA · Catholic Daughters · Catholic Daughters of America
Founded 1903Lay Catholic women's service and fraternal organization, incorporated as a nonprofit. Not an insurance society and not a canonically erected association of the faithful.52912
A letter or two
Through a local council. The alms are not made clear.
How to find a councilThe real first step is finding the court nearest you or emailing the national membership chairman, whose address and phone number sit on the Why Join page along with a fillable membership application PDF. The same page also carries an embedded national online form, headed Join a Catholic Sisterhood 120 Years Strong, whose own instruction reads Fill out the form below to Join or to keep abreast of our activities on our CDA Mailing List. It asks only for your name, city, state, zip, email and phone, so treat it as the quick way to raise your hand rather than as the step that makes you a member, which still happens at a court.
Members have a portal to sign in to.
One of the oldest and largest Catholic women's organizations in the Americas, built around local chapters called courts, which are almost always based in a parish. A court meets monthly and the work is hands-on and sociable at the same time: sewing cancer hats and prayer quilts, Mother's Day bags for single mothers, diapers for pregnancy centers, Boxes of Joy at Christmas, prison visits, supporting seminarians, plus high teas, prayer breakfasts, May Crownings, and retreats. Women join for the sisterhood as much as the service, and younger members often describe the older women in their court as second mothers.
What you promise
Join and take part in a local court, which generally means a monthly meeting plus the court's service projects. Dues are invoiced by the national office to the courts twice a year, and courts set their own local dues on top of that. There are no degrees or ceremonial ranks to work through, though courts elect officers and the national organization has leadership roles (Regent is the title for a court's president).
What the Church attaches
Courts build a devotional life into their calendar: Rosary and prayer at meetings, Stations of the Cross, May Crowning in honor of Our Lady, retreats at cathedrals and retreat centers, and spiritual and financial support of seminarians. Chaplains are appointed at court, state, and national level. The organization does not advertise attached indulgences.
Enrollment checked 2026-10-22. Details change without notice and parish practice varies. Confirm before relying on this sheet.