Event Recap – American Catholic Historical Society

Event Recap – Documenting Sisters’ Habits: A Conversation with Darrin Pufall Purdy

shunmahoney — Sat, 16 May 2026 01:08:53 +0000

Thank you to all those who joined our May lecture by Darrin Pufall Purdy (Boise State University). In the presentation, Purdy described his work documenting and replicating a traditional habit of the Sisters of Charity of New York.

The presentation was recorded in case you missed it.

Watch the presentation

Event recap: Chaplain Kane: The Life and Ministry of Stalag 17’s POW Priest

shunmahoney — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 03:04:14 +0000

Thank you to all those who joined our January lecture by Deacon Alex Solsma, “Chaplain Kane: The Life and Ministry of Stalag 17’s POW Priest.”

In February 1943, Stephen Kane, an Irish-born Catholic military chaplain from Iowa, was captured by the Germans in North Africa. He declined repatriation so he could minister to prisoners of war, subsequently enduring twenty-eight months of imprisonment as a POW, including time as the only American chaplain imprisoned in the infamous Stalag 17.

If you missed it you can watch the presentation here.

The society presents educational presentations monthly. View our events calendar to see upcoming lectures.

2025 Barry Award Dinner honors Kerry Alys Robinson, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO

shunmahoney — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 01:24:19 +0000

Thank you to all our members, friends, and benefactors who joined us at our 43rd Annual Barry Award Dinner to celebrate this year’s honoree, Kerry Alys Robinson. It was a most joyous evening, with nearly 200 individuals filling the Lincoln Ballroom at the Union League of Philadelphia.

“The Barry Award celebrates leaders whose faith, integrity, and service uplift both Church and community,” said ACHS President Michael H. Finnegan. “Kerry Alys Robinson’s lifelong commitment to philanthropy, justice, and Catholic leadership makes her a most deserving recipient of this year’s award.”

View photo gallery

Event recap: The 1831 Scandal of Sister Gertrude: America’s First Runaway Nun

shunmahoney — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:14:14 +0000

Thank you to all those who joined our September lecture by Dr. Joseph Mannard, “The 1831 Scandal of Sister Gertrude: America’s First Runaway Nun.” In this presentation, Dr. Joseph Mannard revealed how American Catholic leadership, male and female, engaged in successful damage control following the 1831 flight of Sister Ann Gertrude Wightt from Georgetown Visitation Convent.

If you missed it, you can watch the presentation recording here.

The story is drawn from Mannard’s new book, The Two Worlds of Ann Gertrude Wightt: How a Runaway Nun Became a Grand Lady of Washington, DC, Society.

Event Recap: Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church

shunmahoney — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 02:25:34 +0000

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Father Thomas Betz’s lecture on the history of Philadelphia’s Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church. Holy Redeemer Church in Philadelphia has the distinction of being the first Catholic church in the Western hemisphere built for Chinese people. Dedicated in 1941, the church recently celebrated its 75h anniversary

Those who missed it can watch the recording here.

Event Recap: Oneness: A Black Catholic’s Journey

shunmahoney — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 03:00:16 +0000

On February 18, 2024, in a timely talk to coincide with Black History Month, the ACHS welcomed Ms. Bea Joyner to speak on Oneness: A Black Catholic’s Journey, a documentary project that captures Black Catholic life at Most Blessed Sacrament parish in West Philadelphia.

She shared some of her photographs of the parish and its members that she had taken over the years starting in 1985 and offered reflections on what made the parish such a rich and welcoming place.

She also produced a documentary video on the project. View the documentary.

2023 Barry Award Dinner honors Theresa and Paul Murtagh

shunmahoney — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 05:06:24 +0000

Thank you to all our members, friends, and benefactors who joined us at our 41st Annual Barry Award Dinner to celebrate this year’s honorees, Theresa and Paul Murtagh. It was a most joyous evening, with nearly 300 individuals filling the Lincoln Ballroom at the Union League of Philadelphia.

It was also a fitting tribute to two individuals recognized widely for their tremendous faith, generous service to the church and community, and tireless dedication to many philanthropic causes. They truly exhibit the same love of God and love of country demonstrated by the award’s namesake, Commodore John Barry.

We are grateful for all those who turned out to honor them and support the work of the Society.

Event Recap – Scrapbook Historiography: The Early Decades of the ACHS

shunmahoney — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 03:11:00 +0000

One of the ways that early members of the American Catholic Historical Society preserved a record of their activities was by gathering materials together in a series of scrapbooks. In this talk, Dr. Patrick Hayes revisits those scrapbooks to gain insights into both the founding years of the ACHS and Catholicism in late nineteenth-century Philadelphia. He also explores the utility of scrapbooks as a historical source and talk about their enduring value as mini repositories of the past.

Need more information?

Some of the ACHS scrapbooks have been digitized by Villanova University. View the digitized scrapbook collection.

Event Recap – Saint Elizabeth’s Parish, Philadelphia: Forged in the Fires of the Great Migration

shunmahoney — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 02:49:20 +0000

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. Elizabeth was home to 3,000 Black Catholics and about 1,000 students attending the parish school. In this talk, Connie McCalla chronicled the unique story of the reclamation of a parish community that transformed it into a dynamic and innovative Black Catholic parish.

The presentation is now available for viewing.

Watch presentation

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Event Recap – 2022 Barry Award Dinner

shunmahoney — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 02:27:48 +0000

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 United Way.

Jerry is very active with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia elementary schools and is currently the Co-Chair of the Executive Board of Elementary Education which oversees the 102 elementary schools in the Archdiocese. He is also the President of the Foundation for Catholic Education which he founded 12 years ago.

The Barry Award is given annually “…to any American who, by their character and their contributions to the church, the community and professional accomplishments, has distinguished themself.”