The Golden Years of the Circle of Serbian Sisters

by Miroslava Jovanovic, RAS – The International Serbian Organization (excerpt from the original work titled “The Heroic Circle of Serbian Sisters: A History”)

Nadezhda Petrovich, internationally acclaimed as Serbia’s most famous female painter, first initiated the creation of a women’s philanthropic society. Along the way, she joined forces with Delfa Ivanich, a satirist, essayist, novelist, journalist, translator, and founder of modern rhetoric in Serbia, and the first Serbian woman to receive the coveted Florence Nightingale Medal. They were soon joined by Mabel Grujich, an American archeologist, philanthropist and volunteer Red Cross nurse in Serbia. 

Quote by https://www.axiawomen.org/wow/circle-serbian-sisters

The Circle of Serbian Sisters was founded in Belgrade, Serbia, on August 28, 1903. Envisioned as a patriotic, humanitarian, and cultural organization of Serbian women living in the Kingdom of Serbia, its mission was primarily to respond to the great human suffering of their brethren living under foreign occupation.

The period between the two world wars ( 1918-41) is considered to be the “golden age” of the Circle of Serbian Sisters. The organization expanded its structure and work under the leadership of the new President Mirka Grujic (1920-40). About 160 chapters were established throughout Serbia. The headquarters in Belgrade was built with financial donations from CSS members and supporters. After the land was purchased and the building erected, the dedication ceremonies took place at the twentieth anniversary celebration, on October 28, 1923. Among the most prominent guests were: King Aleksandar I, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Dimitrije, Bishop Josif from Bitolj, members of the government, and academic and patriotic organizations.

In 1922 the CSS commissioned renowned Serbian painter Uros Predic to prepare an artistic design for a special award (povelja). With the active participation of the CSS a conference of The Balkan Women for Peace was organized in Belgrade in 1925. Thereafter, this significant conference was held annually until the beginning of the Second World War.

It is important to note that in 1937 the CSS addressed the League of Nations in Geneva, asking for equal legal treatment of male and female children, women’s right to education, and the right for employment, inheritance, and estate management. The CSS also worked on promoting cultural and fraternal communication among all nations of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The Sisters initiated the formation of the Circle of Yugoslav Sisters in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and the Circle of Baranja Sisters (Croatia). As a member group of the Yugoslav Women’s Federation, the CSS sent its delegates to their convention, while through the Union for the Protection of Children, the CSS was in contact with many similar organizations in other countries.

The Circle was also engaged in cultural preservation, collecting national handicrafts, handmade embroideries, and national costumes from all regions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia thus recording and preserving national folklore traditions of the country. These collections were and still are very valuable, containing examples of exquisite craftsmanship and design. They were exhibited locally and abroad winning many international awards.

Membership in the CSS extended to a broad and diverse group including Queen Marija, who was the honorary CSS president for life, supporting it both morally and financially. She was also a patron of the traditional annual CSS balls; when attending these events she was always dressed in a national
costume, each time representing a different region of Yugoslavia.

The CSS had many honorary members, a good number of them from foreign countries. A very active member was American born Mrs. Mabel Grujich, the spouse of the Yugoslav Consul in the United States Slavko Grujich. During World War I, she organized the drive for food packages that were delivered to Serbian soldiers and to needy civilians. The Serbian Aid Fund raised more than seven and a half million dinars, a considerable sum for that time. It should also be mentioned that CSS representatives attended the
International Versailles Peace Conference in Paris in 1919.

The Circle of Serbian Sisters has also played a significant role in the United States and Canada. At the turn of twentieth century many Serbs came to the United States entering the labor force with other immigrants who worked in heavy industry, mining, and railways. Once they earned enough money, their wives, children, and family members joined them in the new country. Encountering many hardships they soon realized that they had to build their own churches and social centers. The immigrants were alerted to the fact that in 1903 women in Serbia bad formed a humanitarian organization, the Circle of Serbian Sisters. Using it as their model, the Serbian women in America started to establish local circles of sisters which became an integral part of Serbian parishes. The first Circle of Sisters organized in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1909, requested a charter from the state in 1910, and was granted one in 1912.

Editor’s Note: I found this entire article (this was an excerpt) very interesting to read because I didn’t know the true origins of the Circle. The Kolo (Circle) structure that I observed growing up, and still see today, appears to have a significantly different mission than the original organization. What do you think of the manner in which the Kolo has evolved in the United States and Canada? Does its mission and goals mirror the feminist leadership model that its founders displayed?