St. Elizabeth Parish, founded in North Philadelphia in 1872 to serve a German immigrant population, would later be transformed as African Americans fleeing the harsh realities of segregation in the South flooded into Northern cities like Philadelphia. By the 1950s, with the support of dynamic and innovative pastoral leadership, St....
On Saturday, January 7, 2023, the ACHS was honored to open its doors to members of the American Catholic Historical Association, who were in Philadelphia for their annual conference. The ACHA, founded in 1909, is the primary professional organization in the United States for scholars of Catholic history. To conclude their annual...
The latest issue of the Society’s journal, American Catholic Studies, is here. It features articles on the reconciliation of Father Leonard Feeney, the controversial Boston priest (by Richard Gribble); on Father Thomas Tobin, a WWII-era labor priest in Portland, Oregon (by Samuel Mertz), and a 50th anniversary account of the history of...
On Friday, November 18, the American Catholic Historical Society had the privilege of conferring its 2022 Commodore Barry Award to Jerry Parsons, CTDI Chairman and founder. Jerry and his family have a long history with philanthropic organizations throughout the Philadelphia region with a major focus on Catholic education and the...
The latest issue of the Society’s journal, American Catholic Studies, is here. We’re pleased to feature a special Forum on “Building Catholic Studies Where We Are,” an account of Bishop John England’s diplomatic work, and a cover essay on the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Members...
Check out our annual newsletter to learn about the ACHS, its activities, and our schedule for the upcoming 2022-2023 year! Members will be receiving copies in the mail this week. We invite you to share the newsletter with family, friends, associates, and anyone who might be interested in American Catholic...
The latest issue of the Society’s journal, American Catholic Studies, is here. We’re pleased to feature articles on the growth of the Catholic Church in post-Revolution Maine and on the Blue Army of Fatima in Cold War America. We also have a review forum on Maureen O’Connell’s new book, Undoing...
The American Catholic Historical Society was privileged to be asked to be a part of Interfaith Philadelphia and the Dare to Understand Award ceremony, which was held on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Monsignor Gregory Fairbanks, who serves both on Interfaith Philadelphia and the ACHS boards, was among the speakers. Interfaith...
The ACHS was delighted to see our support for the ongoing digitization of the Catholic Standard and Times featured in the latest issue of CatholicPhilly.com. In May 2020, the ACHS board agreed to provide a $10,000 grant to the Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA) to support the ongoing digitization of the Catholic Standard...
On Friday, December 3, the American Catholic Historical Society had the privilege of conferring its 2021 Commodore Barry Award to Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia. It was our first major gathering in two years and a fitting celebration for our distinguished honoree. We recorded the event to share our special...