Confraternities and archconfraternities
Daughters of Isabella
D of I · Order of the Daughters of Isabella
Catholic women's fraternal and charitable order. International Circle headquarters at 375 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut. Patroness is Queen Isabella of Castile.About thirty thousand as of the 2018 International Convention, with circles in the United States and Canada.
A letter or two
Through a local group. Local Circle dues apply. No figure could be confirmed because the national site could not be reached.
Telephone to enrollThe International Circle office in New Haven. You join through a local Circle, so the question to ask is where the nearest one meets. Your parish office may know first.
Ask at your parish office whether there is a Daughters of Isabella Circle, or contact the International Circle office in New Haven on (203) 865-2570, because you join through a local Circle rather than centrally.
Members have a portal to sign in to.
One of the oldest and largest Catholic women's organisations in North America, built on the motto Unity, Friendship and Charity. The local unit is called a Circle and usually meets once a month for prayer, fellowship and charitable work in the parish and the wider community. It is a fraternal and benefit society rather than a devotional confraternity, so there is no daily prayer rule and no scapular; what you are joining is a sisterhood with a social and charitable programme. Membership is open to any Catholic woman aged sixteen or over, and the practical step is finding your nearest Circle.
Where it comes from
29 March 1897 in New Haven, Connecticut, as an auxiliary to the Rev. John Russell Council of the Knights of Columbus; incorporated in 1907 under the laws of Connecticut.
What you promise
Be a Catholic woman aged sixteen or older. Attend your Circle's meetings, usually monthly, and take part in its charitable and social work. Local dues apply.
What the Church attaches
Prayer and mutual support within the Circle, and the benefits of a fraternal benefit society. No indulgences and no shared Mass obligations are published, so none should be claimed.
Enrollment checked 2026-10-22. Details change without notice and parish practice varies. Confirm before relying on this sheet.