Society of the Holy Name order to establish a local Society of the Holy Name, approval must be granted by the Dominican order, in the form of Letters patent. For much of its existence, the Holy Name Society was a male society. While some parish Holy Name societies are still all-male, the Holy Name Society as a whole now welcomes both Catholic men and women. Membership is open to practicing Catholics over the age of 18. Members of the Society must first pass through a Novitiate, or formation, stage before becoming professed members and undergoing the Induction Ceremony. During this period of membership, new members
Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles The Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles is a lineage society with membership open to descendants of the 209 members of the Schwenkfelder Church who arrived near Penn's Landing between 1731 and 1737 and settled in Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 by William Wagener Porter and had an initial membership of 125 individuals. It is not affiliated officially with any Schwenkfelder institution. It was previously a member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies. In 2016, the membership of the organization was 423 (314 life members, and 109 annual