“The past is a force that is alive…”

“The past is a force that is alive, and, like all living things, growing and maturing, yet preserving a pattern that can be recognized and defined. From the past, we inherit not only patterns and standards, but we inherit vision, insight, strength and courage. The past has passed on to us, as part of our heritage, its unfulfilled dreams and desires, and it bides us keep faith with it in these, as well as in other things, for these, too, are a part of the contribution to advancement and progress.”

(Belle Spafford, Relief Society Annual Conference Proceedings, General Session of the Relief Society Conference, Thursday afternoon, October 4, 1945, CHL CR 11 3/60, by way of I Love Mormon Women's History.)

Building a Home for the Relief Society [Updated]

Before the modern correlated era, the Relief Society was largely in charge of its own finances and programs. In many pioneer communities the organization built a Relief Society Hall for meetings and service projects. The Relief Society helped new mothers, cared for the sick, and dressed the dead. They held testimony meetings, spoke in tongues, blessed each other, stored wheat for a time of need, and kept generally busy.

Around the time of World War II, the general Relief Society in Salt Lake City decided (once again) that it needed its own office. In 1945, new Relief Society President Belle Spafford began to plan and arrange for the building. Read the story in this lovely new picture history:

A Home of Our Own: The Story of the Relief Society Building

Each sister in the Relief Society was asked to donate five dollars and the First Presidency would match each donation. Five dollars was a lot of money in that time, so many Relief Societies held fund raisers and bazaars to raise the necessary money. The building was dedicated in 1956.

Here you can see it on Google Streetview in its location across from the Salt Lake Temple, Church History Library, and Conference Center, and next to the Church Office Building.

View Larger Map

The Church History Library has just put a list of the donors online. Here are some names that will be familiar to readers of this blog:

(Why was Margaret in St. David at the time?)

Here is the card Mary Linton Morgan received upon sending in her donation, which was certainly the widow's mite, given her circumstances.

The picture of the Relief Society Hall in Bicknell, Utah is from Flickr, courtesy of Jimmy Emerson, DVM.

The 172nd Anniversary of the Relief Society

Since my Irish ancestry comes from northern Ireland, I tend to remember March 17 as the anniversary of the Relief Society rather than St. Patrick's Day, so we'll be having soda bread and other Irish food to celebrate the birthday of the Relief Society.

The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded on March 17, 1842. Here are some materials about one of the oldest and largest women's organizations:

Daughters in My Kingdom (official church history of the Relief Society)

Women of Covenant (older and more comprehensive official church history)

"Relief Society" in Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia (pages 107-110)

The original Relief Society Minute Book (Joseph Smith Papers Project)

"The 169th Anniversary of the Relief Society" (my post from three years ago)

"10 accomplishments of the Relief Society" (a nice article in the Deseret News)

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The 171st Anniversary of the Relief Society

Eliza R. Snow Smith Young establishing the Relief Society in Utah Territory with the original Relief Society Minute Book. From Daughters in My Kingdom.

Today is the 171st anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This organization is one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the world.

Not long ago, the Joseph Smith Papers Project placed the founding document of the Relief Society online:

Relief Society Minute Book

If you visit the link, you can read the minute book as well as a summary of its history.