After its foundation in 1975, WOC became more prominent in 1979 during
Pope John Paul II's first visit to the United States. Three leaders of the group, including Ruth Fitzpatrick, led an all-night candlelight vigil outside the place where the Pope was staying the night before the pope's audience at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D.C. The organization has also hosted several conferences after their inaugural event in 1975 in Detroit, with conferences in 1978 in Baltimore and 1995 in Washington, D.C. It has also hosted conferences in conjunction with
Women's Ordination Worldwide in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland, and 2005 in Ottawa, Canada. Those two groups also hosted a conference in September 2015 in Philadelphia, just prior to
Pope Francis' first visit to the United States. In October 2018, WOC organized a peaceful protest outside the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome to call for "Votes for Catholic Women" during the
Fifteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on "Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment." The "Votes for Catholic Women" campaign gained both liberal and conservative support in arguing that female religious superiors should be allowed to vote alongside male religious superiors at the Synod. Members of WOC and other Catholic reform groups clashed with Italian police during the protest. == Leadership and views ==