This year marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, the religious order established by the Venerable Cornelia Connelly, a native Philadelphian. To mark this occasion, on Sunday, September 26 the ACHS welcomed Sister Roseanne McDougall, RHCJ and Ms. Emily Siegel to speak on...
The American Catholic Historical Society is pleased to co-sponsor an exhibit, open house, and film screening hosted by the Redemptorist Archives as part of Archives Month Philly — a celebration of area archives throughout the month of October. October 26, 2021 from 9 AM to 5 PM with film screening at...
During the August 30, 2021 meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission, ACHS Recording Secretary, Chris Gibbons, spoke in support of the Historic Designation for the buildings of John W. Hallahan High School. “The original building was the first All-Girls Diocesan Catholic High School in the country”, Gibbons told the Commission....
Check out the 2021 ACHS newsletter to learn about the Society’s activities and our schedule of events for 2021-2022.
Michael Finnegan, President of the American Catholic Historical Society, was featured in the July 2021 issue of Irish Edition. The story outlines the history of the organization as well as many of the advancements made under Finnegan’s leadership.
Our Summer 2021 issue has arrived featuring a special forum on “Studying Masculinities, Catholic Style,” with contributions by six accomplished scholars. We also have an article on American Catholics and the work of Pax Romana (an international student association) and a fascinating profile of Sister Mary Dennis Donovan, CSJ of...
On Sunday, May 16, 2021, the ACHS recalled the life and legacy of one of its founders, Dr. Lawrence Flick, on the 101st anniversary of his being awarded the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare medal, one of the highest honors given to an American Catholic layperson. The event was held...
On Tuesday, April 20, Dr. William Portier of the University of Dayton spoke on the life of Father Thomas A. Judge, CM, a pioneer in the development of the lay apostolate. Dr. Portier’s talk was based on his biography of Judge, Every Catholic an Apostle (Catholic University of America Press). The presentation...
On Sunday, March 21, Dr. Michael Mullan presented on his forthcoming book, The Philadelphia Irish: Nation, Culture, and the Rise of a Gaelic Public Sphere (Rutgers University Press, 2021). His research drew heavily from archival material at the Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, including some sources that are part...
On Sunday, February 21, Dr. Barbara Klaczynska Schmidt shared her research on Little Flower High School and Catholic Girls’ Education in Philadelphia as part of our local history series. The talk coincides with the celebration of Little Flower’s 80th anniversary. The presentation is now available for viewing on Zoom.