This year marks 50 years since Thomas Wyatt Turner (1877-1978), a leading figure in the advancement of Black Catholics, received his honorary doctorate from The Catholic University of America. In 1894, Turner was offered a scholarship to Lincoln University. However, to receive this scholarship, he would have had to convert to Episcopalian. After some deliberation, Read More

Guest author Darren Stephens, MSLIS is a graduate of Catholic University’s Department of Information Science. He serves as an archival assistant with the University Special Collections. Slumbering in sweet repose in Rare Books are two works of classic literature synonymous with horror and Halloween: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, first unleashed upon American readers in an almost Read More

On September 24, 2026, Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1885-1979) will be beatified in St. Louis, achieving the rank of Blessed on the path to canonization. A well-known Catholic figure of the twentieth century, Sheen’s story is ultimately intertwined with the history of American Catholicism and Catholic University. Following his ordination as a priest in 1919, Sheen Read More

A new exhibition featuring material from Catholic University’s Rare Books Collection is now open in Mullen Library’s May Gallery. Devotion in Print: Catholic Women and Their Books, 1500-1800 explores women’s roles in transforming the written and printed word in the early modern era across multiple genres and disciplines. Far from being passive observers and consumers, Read More

As we begin the107th season of the National Football League (NFL) this September 9, 2026, I could not help but reflect upon another special day, May 12, 1990, when the NFL, Catholic University, and my life converged as commencement activities celebrated graduates and honored distinguished guests and speakers. As a newly hired junior archivist amongst Read More

Premiering 60 years ago on September 8, 1966, Star Trek has continued to entertain and inspire generations of sci-fi fans the world over. Its pop cultural reach extends across regions, the decades, and even into the campus and archives at CatholicU… John T. Dugan, MFA ’48 – Star Trek Scriptwriter by Peter Goodman, Cataloging and Read More

Catholic University’s Rare Books Department, part of Special Collections, had another great year with targeted acquisitions via purchase, with eight items from five national and one international professional book sellers. Four of our recent wares are detailed below; two others were discussed in a recent post about the generous bequest of Msgr. Robert Trisco, and Read More

One hundred twenty six years ago in Baltimore, Maryland, Mary Frances Cunningham, later known as Mother Demetrias, noticed the children of color in her neighborhood had no access to religious education so she began teaching them on the front steps and in the basement of the church. Eventually the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart Read More

Like many cultural heritage institutions across the United States, we have been eagerly anticipating this year’s 250th anniversary of American independence. We have prepared articles, exhibits, and planned our personal holiday celebrations. But before we part ways for the long holiday weekend and head to our various parades or barbecues, we wish to give a Read More

When opening a book, typically the first page one encounters is the title page – a separate page that offers several pieces of information about the work, including the title, author name, and publisher information. The presence of a title page seems rather intuitive, but that assumption underlies how common the title page has become Read More