The training of young people at the Portuguese Grail in the 1960s.

Abstract

This article analyzes the activities of the Grail Movement in Portugal during the final years of the Estado Novo regime, with special attention to the relationships established between the State, the Catholic Church, and the female laity. Drawing on a historical approach that articulates national and international scales, the study contextualizes the emergence of the Grail in Portugal in light of the transformations of twentieth-century Catholicism, the guidelines of Catholic Action, and the impact of the Second Vatican Council. The central role of Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo in the foundation and consolidation of the movement is highlighted, as well as her trajectory within the structures of the Estado Novo and Catholic activism. The article examines the Grail’s formative practices, particularly those aimed at university women, including residential programs, summer camps, projects of human development, literacy, and awareness-raising initiatives, revealing a conception of apostolate that integrated spiritual formation, social engagement, and female leadership. It is argued that, although the Grail operated within certain limits imposed by ecclesiastical hierarchy and the prevailing social order, the movement contributed to the creation of spaces of relative autonomy for women, expanding the possibilities for female participation in the Church and in Portuguese society. Thus, the study proposes an interpretation that emphasizes the complexity and plurality of Catholic women’s experiences during the Estado Novo, avoiding homogeneous or dichotomous readings of the relationship between Church and regime.