Maria Duce

Conservative Catholic movement founded in 1942 by Father Denis Fahey (1883–1954) to popularize Catholic social teaching. In practice, it tended towards fundamentalism, which caused it to lose popular support even though its anticommunist stance was shared by many in both the church and state. In its most high-profile public campaign, it lobbied unsuccessfully to enshrine the Catholic Church's teaching in the Irish state constitution.

Some bishops were initially sympathetic to the organization but grew increasingly embarrassed by its extremism. The founder's death gave them the excuse they needed to distance themselves from the organization, which survived until the 1960s.