In 1938 Bishop Edward Mooney (later to be made Cardinal Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit) invited the women of the Diocese of Detroit to affiliate with the National Council of Catholic Women as a Federation of existing organizations in the leadership role of Catholic Action. The first all-day meeting was held in the Book Cadillac Hotel on Saturday, March 18, 1939. Each decade of the Council's existence has been marked with significant accomplishments.