Marquette League

Henry Ganss of Lancaster, Pennsylvania founded the League in New York City, in May 1904, and two months later, it received a papal blessing from Pius X. Ganss was a fundraiser for the "Preservation Society" of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, and he founded the League as a fundraising auxiliary of the Preservation Society.

The League had a lay directorate of 25 members, chosen at first from among local councils of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

To further its work, it established branch organizations in several northeastern U.S. cities, including Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

It charged an annual membership fee of $2.00, and published "The Calumet" as a fundraising newsletter from 1913 to 1958. Notable members included: During its first six years (to 1910), aid from the League provided for the establishment of mission chapels in several states.

They included: From 1952 to 1958, the League also recruited lay volunteers to serve at missions and schools throughout the United States.