The Ninety-Second Annual Meeting of the American Catholic Historical Association

Report of the Committee on Program

The ninety-second annual meeting of the American Catholic Historical Association was held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the American Historical Association and affiliated societies at the Marriott Miracle Mile Downtown Chicago, Illinois, from Thursday to Sunday, January 5-8, 2012. A special thanks goes to Ellen Skerrett (Jane Addams Papers Project) and Malachy R.McCarthy (Claretian Missionaries Archives USA) for their efforts in developing the Chicago program. Without their leadership, the conference would not have been a success.

On Thursday afternoon, the annual meeting kicked off with one session composed of five panels.

The first panel, "Communities and Networks in Early Modern European Catholicism," featured papers by Dale Van Kley (Ohio State University) on "Communities in Dialogue: Utrecht Jansenists and Catholics, 1769-74," which described the contrasting views of authority in those ecclesiastical parties; Pierpaolo Polzonetti (University of Notre Dame) on "Community of Listeners: Music as Universal Liturgical Language," which highlighted the development of new forms of instrumental music as a means of transcending linguistic and cultural differences; and Ulrich Lehner (Marquette University) on "Communities and Crime: Monastic Prisons in the Habsburg Territories, 1770-80," which focused on the disciplinary system in selected male and female religious houses. Ralph Keen (University of Illinois at Chicago) chaired the session and provided the response.

In the panel "Reconciling Medieval Communities: Priests, People, and Prostitutes" the following papers were read: Winston E. Black II (University of Tennessee), "Shepherds Astray: Clerical Officers in the Later Medieval Court of Conscience"; Marc B. Cels (Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada), "'First be Reconciled': Penitential Reconciliation of Enemies by Parochial Priests"; and Lori A. Woods (St. Francis University, PA), "Disciplinary Dilemmas: Reconciling Prostitutes and Wayward Wives in Late Medieval Valencia." Indre Cuplinskas (St. Joseph's College at the University of Alberta, Canada) chaired the session. David M. Perry (Dominican University) provided insightful comments pointing to how the papers approached the issue of the effects of sin on community and difficulties of investigating both the theory and practice of reconciliation. This was followed by a lively discussion with the audience.

The third session of Thursday afternoon, "Latinos and U.S. Catholicism: A Reappraisal," was chaired by Malachy R. McCarthy (Claretian Missionaries Archives USA) and focused on the challenges of ministering to Latino Catholics today and in the past. The paper "Latinos and the Transformation of American Catholicism" by Timothy Matovina (University of Notre Dame) reflected current issues. "Making Mexican Parishes: Ethnic Succession in Chicago Churches, 1947-77" by Deborah E. Kanter (Albion College) examined the transformation of Pilsen's ethnic churches from an Eastern European to a Spanish-speaking congregation. John J. Macias Jr. (Claremont Graduate University), in the paper "The Resurrection of San Gabriel: The Image of Mexican Catholics in the Context of the Spanish Fantasy Heritage," presented a different challenge. The local Mexican Catholic community had to contend with California's Protestant romanticized understanding of the state's mission heritage with the reality of ministering to an increasing Spanish-speaking audience. A lively discussion followed.

The panel "Marian Devotion in North America"was composed of Kathleen Sprows Cummings (University of Notre Dame), "An American Lourdes? The Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs and the Search for an American Saint, 1884-1930"; Thomas A. Tweed (University of Texas at Austin), "Contesting Protestants and Claiming America: Marian Devotion at Washington's National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 1919-59"; and Joseph Laycock (Piedmont Virginia Community College), "The Pope Is an Imposter! Subversive Marian Devotion in the Wake of Vatican II"; they then presented their current research on Marian devotionalism in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Kristy Nabhan-Warren (Augustana College) chaired the session. There was an open and lively discussion of the papers as members of the audience were quite engaged.

And last, "Perspectives in American Catholic History" highlighted the current doctoral work of three students, and these accompanied an additional presentation on the seal of confession by Patrick Carey (Marquette University). Kevin Q. Doyle, a student at Brandeis in early American history, delivered the paper "Anti-Popery on Battlefields and...