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 Friends of the Blacks the organization's inception, rank and file membership were excluded from participating in the Society's operations. Analysis of the membership list of the Society reveals a predominance of elite individuals. Although they possessed great influence, they had most of their power in Paris. There was a lack of popular participation, which reflected the structure of government and society. The founding members of the Society included such notables as Brissot, Condorcet, Saint-Lambert, Lafayette, La Rochefoucauld, and Clavière. The Society began with a handful of abolitionists, increased to ninety-five by 1789, and would swell to a maximum of 141 associates in later years.