The 2013 Annual Report of the American Catholic Historical Association is composed of several reports:

• President’s Report
• Report of the Chair of the Elections Board
• Report of the Secretary
• Editor’s Report (Catholic Historical Review)
• Communications Committee Report
• Treasurer’s Report
• Report of the John Gilmary Shea Prize Committee
• Report of the ACHA Marraro Prize Committee
• Report of the Peter Guilday Prize Committee
• Report of the John Tracy Ellis Dissertation Committee

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President’s Report

This past year has seen what can perhaps best be called the stabilization of the American Catholic Historical Association. After several years of upheaval, the Association has been able to get back on track in 2013. I am grateful for the hard work of past presidents, especially Dr. Thomas Noble, Dr. Larissa Taylor, and Rev. Steven Avella; their efforts allowed Bentley Anderson and myself to settle some issues that had been on the table for at least several years.

Catholic Historical Review

Although the Catholic Historical Review is the official journal of the American Catholic Historical Association, it had become increasingly difficult to offer our members a subscription to the journal and still have the financial means to provide other services. At one point, $48 out of $60 annual dues was paid to CUA press. We have reached an agreement with The Catholic University of America Press that will allow our members to receive electronic copies of the journal for no additional money. Those members who choose to receive printed copies of the CHR may do so for an additional fee of $30. This agreement will allow the ACHA to continue to offer its members access to a very fine scholarly journal, and at the same time, consider other ways to make the association more attractive to graduate students and junior scholars. Special thanks are due to Trevor Lipscomb, Director of CUA Press, for his willingness to negotiate with the ACHA.

Finances

In 2013, Elizabeth McGahan, Rodger Van Allen, and Eric Wood were asked to serve on the Finance Committee of the ACHA. This committee was expected to be active, working with the Executive Secretary/Treasurer to determine the best way to invest and spend ACHA funds. I am pleased to report that all three members have lived up to our expectations. Although there was an opportunity to move our portfolio to Merrill-Lynch, the committee recommended that our funds remain at Deutsche Bank. As a result, our portfolio has been restructured and our service fees have been reduced.

Committees

In addition, we have two additional committees actively working to assist the Executive Secretary/Treasurer. The Program Committee will provide much needed help in planning and implementing the 2015 meeting (to be held in New York City). The Communications Board has offered suggestions on how the ACHA might better use technology—and even social media—to improve communication with members and perhaps attract younger scholars to join the association. Members of the Communications Board have offered some very astute observations concerning the design of the ACHA website, and how it might become more attractive and user-friendly. I suspect that the work of this committee will become even more important in the years ahead.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Although the ACHA has made great strides in 2013, there is still much to do. Before I leave office, I suggest that the following issues may be facing the incoming officers and members of the EC:

There are still issues that involve the CHR and the ACHA. What does it mean for the CHR to be our official journal when conference proceedings, membership information, and other ACHA news is now posted on the website? What role should the editor play on the ACHA EC, and what is the purpose of a representative of the ACHA serving on the editorial board of CHR? (I offer no solutions or suggestions, but simply recommend that the association and the journal define their relationship to one another from the perspective of the twenty-first century.)

I think that the ACHA needs to examine seriously the potential place of social media in the organization. ASCH, for instance, operates both a facebook page and a blog. Other related professional organizations, such as the AHA and AAR, are also involved with social media. To be blunt, I am not sure we will be able to attract graduate students and younger scholars without entering into this new world. This job, however, should not be added to the already full plate of the Executive Secretary/Treasurer. If we are to get involved, the organization must find a way to make it work. As a related aside, now that our finances are improving, we have to think about ways to allow presenters to use multimedia in ACHA sessions. It is expensive, but it is the way that many of our younger members are accustomed to presenting and teaching.

Finally, I think the relationship of affiliated societies, including the ACHA, with the AHA may become more and more complex. Note, for instance, that the EC and Business Meeting are at 6:30 PM this year; this will probably be the case for a number of years to come. I’m not sure what else to say about this issue, but I think it’s something to keep in mind. I don’t think the situation is going to get any easier.

I end my report by expressing thanks and gratitude to a number of people: First, for the fine work of the EC during this past year. You voted electronically when asked, and you did so in a timely manner. In addition, you offered advice and suggestions that were thoughtful and constructive. Second, thanks to Richard Gribble, CSC, and those who assisted him in planning and executing the 2013 spring meeting at Stonehill College. As the old saying goes, “a good time was had by all.” Last but not least, I especially thank Bentley Anderson, SJ, for his time and talents. Without him, we would not have brought order out of chaos.

In closing, I assure Daniel Bornstein and Angelyn Dries, OSF, of my continued support and commitment to the American Catholic Historical Association.

Margaret M. McGuinness, President

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Report of the Chair of the Elections Board

The 2013 elections were conducted for the second time under the recently implemented Constitutional changes, which established an Elections Board.  This year’s election board consisted of Bentley Anderson, Daniel Bornstein, Una Cadegan, Leigh Ann Craig, and Charles Gallagher.  The slate of candidates was developed from a list of nominated and self-nominated members.

The nominating process produced a varied list of candidates, allowing the Association to continue to broaden and diversify its Executive Council by region, discipline, gender, and institutional affiliation. The slate of candidates included Angelyn Dries, OSF (Saint Louis University), Douglas J. Slawson (National University), Ralph Keen (University of Illinois at Chicago), Francis J. Sicius (St. Thomas University, Florida), Helen M. Ciernick, (Mount Marty College, South Dakota), and Fernanda Helen Perrone (Rutgers University).

On-line was held from September 13 to 27, with mail-in ballots being accepted until the 20^th.   Because of the power outage and loss of internet access at VoteNetSolutions, the company running our balloting on Thursday, September 26^th, the election polls were kept open until 12noon Sunday, September 29^th.  Given that we had employed this electronic firm for our past two on-line elections, we were confident that they would provide quality service again this year.  Unfortunately that was not the case.  We will not be contracting with VoteNetSolutions next year; they have reimbursed us for this year’s charges. 

The results of the 2013 elections are as follows: Ralph Keen and Fernanda Helen Perrone were elected to the Executive Council for the 2013-2016 term, and Sr. Angelyn Dries, O.S.F., assumes the vice presidency in 2014 and the presidency in 2015.

The Elections Boards extends its congratulations and thanks to those who are willing to serve the Association in elective office. Thanks also to all those who nominated candidates. And special thanks to the ACHA webmaster, Andy Metzger. 

Una Cadegan, chair

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Report of the Secretary

Membership. At the end of 2013, the Association had 565 active members, of whom 346 were ordinary members, 72 were retired members, 83 were student members, and 64 were Lifetime members (individuals and institutions).  Our Graduate Student numbers remain steady as well as the Retired numbers, but the Regular membership is influx once again (recall that in 2011 the total membership stood at 495 and last year we had 667).  There will need to be a concerted effort by all members of the Association to promote the organization and to think creatively regarding a membership drive in the coming year.  To this end, I am suggesting that the EC consider the following initiatives for improving our membership numbers: 2-4-3 years membership dues, 2-4-1 (two members, one price), one-year free membership to newly minted Ph.D.s, free membership for graduate students, and/or re-evaluating our dues structure.  Presently dues are $60 for a regular membership, $40 for retired members, and $30 for graduate students.  I am proposing that the EC restructure the dues as follows: Graduate student: $20; Retired/Clergy/Religious/non-academic: $25; Independent Scholar: $30; Assistant Prof.: $40; Associate Prof.: $50; Professor: $60.

Web Site.  The website has once again provided itself to be a very wise investment.  This past year we used the Association’s website to disseminate information, promote various programs, advertise non-ACHA events, and announce grant and award recipients.  For the first time, the annual Program and the annual Association reports were posted on the website.  Officer elections were again conducted on-line this year.  Both the New Orleans annual meeting and the Stonehill spring meeting registrations were handled on-line; and for the first time, we instituted an on-line submission process for accepting paper proposals for the 2014 annual meeting.  

New Initiatives: Grants. In 2013 we offered three new grant awards: Graduate Student Research Grant, Junior Faculty Research Grant, and Institutional Challenge Grant. While these grants will be offered on a year-to-year basis, they are the kinds of scholarly initiatives the ACHA should be funding and promoting on an annual basis.  Dr. Sarah Nytroe, DeSales University, was the recipient of the Junior Faculty Research Grant; her report can be found on the website.  Because we did not award an Institution Challenge Grant this year, those funds were applied toward awarding three Graduate Student Research Grants this year.  The recipients for 2013 were  Elissa Cutter, Saint Louis University; Paul Monson, Marquette University; and Brian Clites, Northwestern University.  Their reports have been posted on the website. 

Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the ACHA took place in post-Katrina New Orleans.  96 members, comprising 32 panels, presented their papers this year.  For the first time, paper and panel proposals were submitted to the Program Committee via an on-line program for review.  This new system allowed the Committee to accept or reject as well as organize panels and papers in an efficient manner.  We will be using this system for the spring meeting submission as well as the submissions for the 2015 meeting in New York City.  Again this year we posted the Program for our Annual Meeting on the ACHA web site for all to consult (www.achahistory.org) 

Highlights of the meeting, besides the quality research presented, was the Presidential Luncheon held at Antoine’s Restaurant with over 120 individuals in attendance, the ACHA Saturday vigil Mass celebrated at the Old Ursuline Convent located on Chartres Street, which was followed by the Social hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in the Ursuline Convent Museum.  

Constitutional Changes. 

The Executive Council has approved and sent to the full membership the following changes to the Constitution.  The Articles in question make reference to the requirement that the Executive Secretary and Treasurer produce certain reports that have to appear in The Catholic Historical Review.  Last year the decision was made not to continue the practice of publishing the annual program and reports (e.g., president’s, secretary’s, treasurer’s, etc.) in the CHR because that material is now officially posted on our web site.  Furthermore, this decision now saves The Catholic University of America Press, the owner of the journal, a considerable amount of money as there is no need for additional pages to be added to the CHR.  

In Article IV: Officers and Executive Council, one finds the following:

IV.2.8 A summary of the meetings of the Executive Council will be published in the Catholic Historical Review.

The Executive Council has voted to strike “published in the Catholic Historical Review”, replacing it with “published on the official web site of the ACHA.”

Also found in Article IV:

VII.3 The President shall appoint a Finance Committee consisting of three members for staggered terms of three years each. With the assistance of the Finance Committee, the Treasurer shall present an annual report to the Executive Council and to the membership at large in the annual business meeting and publish it in the Association’s journal.

The Executive Council has vote to replace the last portion of the last sentence, “publish it in the Association’s journal” with “publish on the official ACHA web site.”

Bylaws

The following Bylaws were changed by vote of the Executive Council this past November. 

In section 1.3.b. concerning the duties of the Executive Secretary, the requirement that the Secretary “oversee the maintenance of the membership records and welcome new members by signing their certificates of membership” has been altered.  Eliminated from the statute is the portion “by signing their certificates of membership” since this is no longer done.

Section 1.4.g., regarding the duties of the Executive Treasurer, has been eliminated: “g. pay the invoices from the publisher, the Catholic University of America Press”.  Section 1.4.a. requires the Treasurer to pay all financial obligations. 

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Report of the Editor of the Catholic Historical Review

Volume 99 of the journal consisted of 836 pages of articles, essays, book reviews, brief notices, and the quarterly sections Notes and Comments, Periodical Literature, and Other Books Received, with an additional twenty-four pages of preliminary material, and an eighteen-page index, for a total of 878 pages. Subsidies from authors and contributions from others made directly to the journal allowed for the addition of pages above those budgeted. Professor Paul F. Grendler of Chapel Hill, NC (emeritus of the University of Toronto) generously made such a contribution last year.

Of the fifteen articles published, three treated medieval topics, three early modern, two late modern European, four American, one Latin American, one Canadian, and one African. Their authors came mostly from American institutions, but Canadian, Israeli, Nigerian, and Spanish universities were also represented.  The essays consisted of one autobiography in the series “Journeys in Church History,” one Forum Essay in which five scholars from the United States, Belgium, and Italy critiqued one book, and a Review Essay dealing with five books. 

There were 195 book reviews and three brief notices.  The book reviews can be subdivided into the following categories: general and miscellaneous (13), ancient (15), medieval (60), early modern (45), late modern (28), American (20), Latin American (8), Asian (4), Canadian (1), and African (1).  Their authors came mostly from institutions in the United States (117 or 60%), but those in other countries were also represented: in England (27 or 14%), Scotland (9), Canada (7), Italy (5), Austria (4), Germany and Mexico (3), two each for Denmark, France, Ireland, and  Switzerland, and one each for Australia, Belgium, China, Finland, Israel, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Taiwan, and Ulster. Of the brief notices, two were from authors at institutions in the United States, one from the United Kingdom. Please see Table 1.

Msgr. Trisco reports that the journal could have published many more book reviews if all those who accepted books had submitted reviews punctually.  At the end of this year 265 reviewers are delinquent, and two have died without writing a review.  It is the journal’s practice to send such reviewers three reminders before considering the matter hopeless and then merely listing the title in “Other Books Received.”  Authors who have been disappointed not to find in the journal reviews of their books may inquire of Msgr. Trisco whether a review copy was received in the editorial office and sent out for review.

The editors received thirty-three new submission of articles in 2013. They came primarily from the United States, but also from Belgium, Canada, Chile, England, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Korea, and Spain. Table 2 shows the current disposition of these submissions.  During the year 2013, fourteen articles earlier accepted were published. 

At the end of August 2012, Nelson H. Minnich returned from his year’s sabbatical leave and resumed the editorship. He was deeply grateful to Msgr. Robert Trisco for having so ably guided the journal as acting editor during his absence.  Ms. Katya Mouris continued as the devoted assistant to Msgr. Trisco, who resumed his primary role as the skillful book editor, while continuing to compile the sections Periodical Literature and Other Books Received.  During her absence over the summer to work on German in Munich, Mr. Paul Wesley Bush ably substituted for her. Ms. Elizabeth Foxwell has continued as the dedicated staff editor.  Dr. Jennifer Paxton, a medievalist who teaches at the Catholic University and is associate director of its Honors Program, has kindly joined the editorial staff as associate editor. To round out the board of advisory editors with an expert in the ancient Church, Dr. Robin Darling Young of the same university has graciously agreed to provide her expert advice. 

One of the issues on which the editors have spent a good amount of time is the revision of the journal’s format.  A new cover design using varying size illustrations and more color and a new internal layout and font (Caslon) were discussed and adopted with the January issue of volume 100.  Plans go forward for two special centennial issues, one evaluating the contribution of the journal to the study of church history over the previous century and the other featuring studies in the latest historiographical trend, applying the study of material culture to the history of Catholicism. 

After years of discussion and negotiations, the journal’s relationship to the American Catholic Historical Association was clarified and put on a new footing under the presidency of Dr. Margaret McGuinness. Dr. Trevor Lipscombe, Director of the Catholic University of America Press, which owns the journal, has generously agreed to give electronic access to the journal at no personal cost to all members of the Association and to provide to them hard-bound copies at near cost. The current president of the Association is invited ex officio to join the journal’s advisory editorial board. The journal will no longer publish the reports of the Association’s meetings, but will continue to print its award citations and the obituary notices of its distinguished members. 

Nelson H. Minnich, Editor

Table 1: Book reviews and brief notices published in 2013.

Area	January	April	July	October	TOTAL
General	4	4	2	3	13
Ancient	6	3	3	3	15
Medieval	20	17	12	11	60
Early Modern	15	14	9	7	45
Late Modern	7	10	6	5	28
American	4	5	6	5	20
Latin American	2	4	2	0	8
Canadian	1	0	0	0	1
Far Eastern/ Australian	0	1	2	1	4
African	0	0	0	1	1
TOTAL	59	58	42	36	195
Brief Notices	1	0	2	0	3

Table 2: Manuscripts submitted in 2013.

Area	Accepted	Conditionally Accepted	Rejected or Withdrawn (W)	Pending	Published in 2013	TOTAL
General			3	1		4
Ancient						0
Medieval			3	2	1	6
Early Modern		1	1	2		4
Late Modern	1	1		3		5
American	2		3	3		8
Latin American			2	2		4
Canadian				1		1
Far Eastern			1 – W			1
Middle Eastern						0
African						0
TOTAL	3	2	13	14	1	33

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Treasurer’s Report

Please follow this link to access the treasurer’s report.

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Communications Committee Report

Please follow this link to access the Communications Committee Report.

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Report of the John Gilmary Shea Prize Committee for 2013

The members of the John Gilmary Shea Book Prize committee are pleased to announce that Professor Charles Keith’s Catholic Vietnam: A Church From Empire to Nation (University of California Press) has been awarded the 2013 Shea Prize for the best work in Catholic history. The committee remarked:

Charles Keith, in Catholic Vietnam, examines how Catholicism influenced Vietnam’s transition from colony to sovereign nation.  He argues that Vietnamese efforts to form an independent national Church helped reimagine their relationship to the French colonial power and redefine their identity as a nation.  This book complicates the well-worn view that Catholicism in the age of imperialism served simply as a defender of the imperial order, demonstrating the complexity and ambiguity of circumstances on the ground in Vietnam. Keith puts the spotlight on Vietnamese Catholics who asserted their joint religious and national identities in navigating the conflicts between imperial authority and local resistance.

The conflicts heightened during the First French Indo-China War. As French defeat became imminent, massacres of Vietnamese Catholics occurred as did large scale migration to the south. The Vatican sought to support Catholics in Vietnam and at the same time fiercely opposed communism in the north. Throughout these struggles, Vietnamese Catholics since the late nineteenth century pushed for a national church independent of French missionary control. The Vatican remained a strong ally in this movement and in the 1960s granted the Vietnamese Church status as a fully self-governing church under the authority of Rome.

Drawing from a wide range of sources in Vietnam, France, and Italy, Keith traces the development of a religious and cultural self-awareness among Catholics that connected them to the universal world of Catholicism yet also set them apart from it. Meticulously researched and carefully narrated, Catholic Vietnam is an outstanding book with an important story to tell.

Committee members: Thomas Rzeznik, John Monfasani, Charles H. Parker, chair

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Report of the ACHA Marraro Prize Committee for 2013

The 2013 ACHA Marraro prize has been awarded to Dr. Areli Marina for The Italian Piazza Transformed. Parma in the Communal Age (Penn State).  In her spatial analysis of Parma’s religious heart, the Piazza del Duomo, and its civic center, now Piazza Garibaldi, Marina explores the socio-political tensions of the communal era through architectural history. The engaging and beautifully illustrated text argues that the layout of each piazza, above all the design and placement of the buildings, displays the church/state struggles of the High Middle Ages. Her conclusions on the meaning of order in urban space invite productive debate.

Committee members: Roy Domenico, Silvana Patriarca, Alison K. Frazier, chair

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Report of the Peter Guilday Prize Committee for 2013

The editors of the Catholic Historical Review confer on Mr. Sean Fabun, an independent scholar of Pinole, California, the Peter Guilday Award for a scholar’s the first academic publication. His article which  appeared in the journal under the title “Catholic Chaplains in the Civil War” (CHR 99 [October 2013], 675-702), is based on archival materials, published memoirs, and obituary notices for eleven chaplains who served in both the Union and Confederate armies.  They came primarily from the ranks of religious orders (Jesuits, Holy Cross Fathers, and Redemptorists); only one was a diocesan priest and he later joined the Jesuits. Mr. Fabun’s study goes beyond earlier scholarship on the chaplains by studying those on both sides of the conflict and arguing from this prosopographical study that their service in the war helped to win acceptance for Catholicism as a genuinely American faith.  The chaplains urged their Catholic coreligionists to fight with courage and honor and to demonstrate their faith by adherence to its moral teachings and sacramental practices. They preached and conducted worship services; they administered general absolution before battles; they wrote letters on behalf of illiterate or injured soldiers; they intervened to stop drunken brawls and gambling; and they comforted the dying and provided dignified funeral services for them.  The dedication of these chaplains to their ministries and to the care of both their own men and those of other faiths made a deep impression on many observers and won some converts and a greater acceptance for Catholicism by others.  For this contribution to the study of American Catholicism during the Civil War whose sesquicentennial we currently celebrate the editors gladly confer on Mr. Sean Fabun the Peter Guilday Award of the American Catholic Historical Association.

Nelson H. Minnich, Editor; Robert Trisco, Associate Editor; Jennifer Paxton, Associate Editor

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Report of the John Tracy Ellis Dissertation Committee

The John Tracy Ellis Dissertation prize for 2013 as been awarded to Amanda Scott, Washington University in St. Louis, for her work “The Basque Seroras: Local Religion, Gender, and Power in Northern Spain, 1550-1800”.  This award is presented to a graduate student whose research demonstrates the potential to make a significant contribution in our understanding of Catholic history.

In making their selection, the committee noted that Scott’s work, which examines a category of relatively unknown lay religious women active throughout the early modern period in the Basque Country, to be compelling and sophisticated.  And they were taken by her analysis of these lay women who performed paid services in parish churches throughout northern Spain, noting that “the serora represents a unique manifestation of local Catholic culture and is a vivid counter-example to stereotypes that depict early modern religious life as categorically limiting and repressive to women.” 

Committee members: Richard Janet, Mary Sommar, Anne Klejment, chair