News | Cushwa Center | University of Notre Dame

Historian: In quest for holy heroes, American Catholics find tensions between national, religious identities

Published: May 02, 2019

In new research, Kathleen Sprows Cummings chronicles how canonization, or the intricate process of naming someone a saint, prompted a minority religious group to define, defend and celebrate its American identity.

Apostles in the desert: How Catholic advocates once led the fight to help Mexican immigrants

Published: March 28, 2019

Author: Maggie Elmore

Maggie Elmore explores the history of advocacy services sponsored by the Catholic Church since the 1920s on behalf of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Preserving our story

Published: March 26, 2019

Author: Patricia Wittberg, S.C.

Patricia Wittberg, S.C., offers sociological perspective on the preservation of religious congregations' archival collections as many communities anticipate downsizing, mergers, or completion in the years ahead.

Book review: Karen Johnson's One in Christ

Published: March 21, 2019

Author: Peter Cajka

Peter Cajka reviews Karen Johnson's One in Christ: Chicago Catholics and the Quest for Interracial Justice.

Why I study women religious

Published: March 17, 2019

Author: Ryan P. Murphy

Ryan P. Murphy (Chestnut Hill College) reflects on his research and teaching on American Catholic women religious.

Cushwa Center announces research funding recipients for 2019

Published: March 07, 2019

Author: Shane Ulbrich

In 2019, the Cushwa Center is providing grants and awards to 19 scholars for a variety of research projects.

The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus at 50

Published: February 26, 2019

Author: Peter Cajka

On November 7, 2019, Father Clarence Williams, C.PP.S., spoke at Rare Books and Special Collections in Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Library, reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus.

Protestant missionaries and the transformation of American public life: A seminar with David Hollinger

Published: February 21, 2019

Author: Maggie Elmore

The fall 2018 Seminar in American Religion featured Hollinger's Protestants Abroad.

Cushwa Center Lecture examines how sex and religion fractured American society

Published: February 19, 2019

Author: Maggie Elmore

In October 2018, R. Marie Griffith delivered the annual Cushwa Center Lecture on the ways that sex, gender, and religion have divided American society since the 1920s.

Ruán O'Donnell on America and the Irish Revolution, 1916–1922

Published: January 30, 2019

Author: Peter Cajka

O'Donnell delivered the annual Hibernian Lecture in September 2018.

Catholic missionary education among the Potawatomi: Five questions with Issac Akande

Published: November 27, 2018

Author: Peter Cajka

Akande (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) received a Research Travel Grant to visit the Notre Dame Archives for research for his dissertation.

Book review: The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright

Published: October 25, 2018

Author: Gabrielle Guillerm

Gabrielle Guillerm reviews Ann M. Little's The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright.

The complete writings of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne: The challenges of transatlantic, diachronic, and bilingual biographical publication

Published: October 23, 2018

Author: Carolyn Osiek

Carolyn Osiek, R.S.C.J., explains the process of preparing the complete writings of Philippine Duchesne for publication.

Enduring trends and new directions: Assessing Mark Noll’s place in American historiography

Published: October 18, 2018

Author: Benjamin J. Wetzel and Kathryn Rose Sawyer

Benjamin J. Wetzel and Kathryn Rose Sawyer revisit the spring 2018 conference Enduring Trends and New Directions, in light of the intellectual legacy of Mark Noll and several of his colleagues.

Research symposium explores history of migrant education by women religious

Published: October 16, 2018

Author: Margaret McGuinness

Margaret McGuinness revisits Pedagogy of Peace, a March 2018 symposium in Ireland sponsored by the Cushwa Center.

Book review: Authentically Black and Truly Catholic

Published: October 02, 2018

Author: Catherine R. Osborne

Catherine R. Osborne reviews Matthew J. Cressler's Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migration

The Spanish language in the U.S. Catholic Church: A conversation with Antonio Medina-Rivera

Published: August 14, 2018

Author: Peter Cajka

Medina-Rivera visited the Notre Dame Archives in June 2018 to research Spanish language usage in the U.S. Catholic Church during the 20th century.

The founding of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute: A conversation with Alberto Guasco

Published: August 09, 2018

Author: Shane Ulbrich

Guasco received a 2018 Hesburgh Research Travel Grant to study Father Hesburgh’s leadership in the early years of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute.

Patricio Flores and liberation theology: A conversation with Gabriela Perez

Published: July 30, 2018

Author: Peter Cajka

Research Travel Grant recipient Gabriela Perez recently visited the Notre Dame Archives to study the life and work of Archbishop Patricio Flores.

Cushwa Center names first six recipients of Mother Theodore Guerin Research Travel Grants

Published: June 14, 2018

Author: Shane Ulbrich

This year, funds will support travel to research sites throughout the Midwestern United States as well as Valence, France; Madrid, Spain; and the Tiwi Islands off the northern coast of Australia.