This is a talk I ran across, in the Relief Society Magazine, given by Joseph Fielding Smith who was serving as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve at the time.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would never have been finished without the organization known as the Relief Society which embraces the sisters of the Church. There is no other organization… like it. The world could not duplicate it. There are other organizations of women, I suppose, I’ve heard of such; but I am sure there is no organization that could assemble as you have assembled here with the same inspiration and hopes and aspiration and faith and love of truth as you sisters manifest in your lives.

The Prophet was inspired. And, by revelation in March 1842 on the 17^th day, he called the sisters together and organized the Relief Society. It has grown to be a power in the Church. Absolutely necessary—we speak of it as an auxiliary, which means a help, but the Relief Society is more than that. It is needed. It has a place as an aid to the Priesthood of God. And while the sisters have not been given the Priesthood, it has not been conferred upon them, that does not mean that the Lord has not given unto them authority. Authority and Priesthood are two different things. A person may have authority given to him, or a sister to her, to do certain things in the Church that are binding and absolutely necessary for our salvation, such as the work that our sisters do in the House of the Lord. They have authority given unto them to do some great and wonderful things, sacred unto the Lord, and binding just as thoroughly as are the blessings that are given by the men who hold the Priesthood. And you sisters who labor in the House of the Lord can lay your hands upon your sisters, and with divine authority, because the Lord recognizes positions, which you occupy. He honors you and blesses you in your labors in your various stakes, and you go forth with authority. You can speak with authority, because the Lord has placed authority upon you.

Now, today, we live in a different age, a wonderful age in the restoration of the gospel. As far as I know, in former years or former dispensations of the gospel, our sisters were not called upon to do very much. Even in the days of Paul, they were counseled to be silent in churches, and other restrictions were placed upon them. But that was not necessarily in accord with the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation had nothing to do with those restrictions. They were due to the prevailing conditions among the peoples, the customs of the times.

Today, our sisters take part in the various organizations that are assigned to them. They give service in the training of our youth, our children, and what they do is done by authority. And when the Prophet Joseph Smith chose the sisters in 1842, he gave them authority. Authority to administer, even, if necessary, the laying on of hands in behalf of the sick. Not to seal and anoint, but by the prayer of faith to plead with the Lord for the healing of the sick. I have often thought in reading our scriptures, the old scriptures, of the restrictions, apparently, that were placed upon women which the Lord in his wisdom, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, removed.

It isn’t necessary today for our sisters to be silent. They can be called upon to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, to bear their testimonies and bear witness of the truth in our sacrament meetings or other meetings of the Church. They have their own meetings, such as the Relief Society, in which they have been given power and authority to do a great many things. The work which they do is done by divine authority.

The Lord through his wisdom has called upon our sisters to be aids to the Priesthood. Because of their sympathy, tenderness of heart, and kindness, the Lord looks upon them and gives unto them the duties and responsibilities of being ministers to the needy and to the afflicted. He has pointed out the path which they should follow, and he has given to them this great organization where they have authority to serve under the directions of the bishops of the wards and in harmony with the bishops of the wards, looking after the interest of our people both spiritually and temporally.

And the Lord can call upon our sisters to go into the homes to comfort the needy, to aid and assist the afflicted, to kneel with them and pray with them, and the Lord will hearken to the sisters’ prayers when they are offered sincerely in behalf of the sick, just as he will listen to the prayers of the elders of the Church.

We could not get along without this organization. I don’t know what some of our bishops would do, if a bishop could not call upon the president of the Relief Society of his ward in cases of need. Maybe sometimes a bishop finds it rather convenient to put something off onto the shoulders of the sisters of the Relief Society when maybe he ought to shoulder a few of the things himself, I don’t know. (Laughter.) But you have been very helpful, and the Lord appreciates the work that you do. You, through your faithfulness and your obedience, will find your place in the kingdom of God when it is established in its fullness and righteousness. Think of it! It is within the privilege of the sisters of this Church to receive exaltation in the kingdom of God and receive authority and power as queens and priestesses, and I am sure if they have that power they have some power to rule and reign. Else why would they be priestesses?

The Lord is pleased with your labors. You, through your service, have helped to build up and strengthen the kingdom of God. Just as necessary is the labor of the Relief Society in the church as it is, shall I say? with the quorums of the Priesthood. Now some may feel that I am expressing this a little too strongly, but my own judgment is that the work that you, our good sisters, are doing, finds its place and is just as important in the building up of this kingdom, strengthening it, causing it to expand, laying a foundation upon which we all may build, just as much as it is for the brethren who hold the Priesthood of God. We can’t get along without you.

May the Lord continue to bless you with his Holy Spirit abundantly, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Information from: “Relief Society—An Aid to the Priesthood”, President Joseph Fielding Smith, Address delivered at the Officers Meeting, Relief Society General Conference, Oct 8, 1958. Printed in the Relief Society Magazine, 46:4, (Jan 1959).