Thirteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The Papacy of Pius XI witnessed the emergence of new political and economic regimes that promoted types of masculinity that conflicted with Christianity. Under the new governments that emerged in the post-war order, Christianity was disparaged for promoting a particular kind of masculinity defined by the new political regimes as “feminine” and “weak,” particularly when viewed through the lens of Nietzsche’s writings. The Papacy of Pius XI promoted a particular type of masculinity for the laity through the devotion of Christ the King and the promotion of Catholic Action. In the United States, the Catholic Church sought to encourage men to join the Society of the Holy Name, a devotion that had emerged in the thirteenth century but became an important organization within the American Catholic Church in the first three decades of the twentieth century and which sought to reinforce a vigorous Catholic masculinity through the fight against three foes: atheists and those who blasphemed against Christ through the use of profanity and obscene speech. This paper explores the type of masculinity the Holy Name Society promoted and the type of masculinity it attempted to encourage.