Notes and Comments

Joint Meeting of the Canadian and American Catholic Historical Associations: University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto April 15–16, 2011

The University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto sponsored the Second Joint Meeting of the Canadian and American Historical Associations on April 15–16, 2011. The 2011 organizing and program committee consisted of Terence Fay, S.J.; Edward Jackman, O.P.; Peter Meehan; Mark McGowan; and Elizabeth Smyth. Thomas Collins, archbishop of Toronto, said the Mass for the academic assembly in the Cardinal Flahiff Chapel on campus. At the reception and dinner following the Mass, CCHA President-General Peter Meehan welcomed the sixty-five dinner guests and invited CCHA President Jacqueline Gresko and ACHA President Larissa Taylor to speak, and Archbishop Collins to give benediction over the table.

Eighty-two American and Canadian scholars participated in the twenty-two sessions. Forty-eight papers were given at twenty-two sessions; two sessions focused on Canada, and two were on the United States. Michael Gauvreau of McMaster University chaired the first session on Canada, “The New Perspectives on Quebec Catholicism,” in which Ollivier Hubert of Université de Montréal talked about “Private Catholic Schools and Social Domination in Quebec: A Long Perspective,” Jean Philippe Warren of Concordia University reviewed “The Concept of Pillarization and Catholic Religious Decline in Quebec,” and Gauvreau spoke on “Quebec’s Religious Crisis: Catholic Intellectuals and the Problem of Dechristianization, 1950–1970.” Elizabeth McGahan of the University of New Brunswick chaired the second session on Canada, “Christian Identity and Politics in Twentieth-Century Canada,” in which Gordon Heath of McMaster University presented on “Protestants and the Conscription Crisis in Canada, 1917–1918” and Gabriela Pawlus Kasprzak of University of St. Michael’s College talked on “Redefining Religion and Nationalism with Polish Organizational Life in Interwar Canada.”

Charles Strauss of the University of Notre Dame chaired the first session on the United States, which focused on “Education and Religion: Theory Meets Theological Practice” and featured Erin Bartram of the University of Connecticut on “A Catholic Education: Elite 19th-Century American Converts and Structures of Church Authority” and Rosa Bruno-Jofre of Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and Gonzalo Jover of Universidad Complutense de Madrid on “The Pedagogical Creeds of the End of the XIX Century in the United States: The Transatlantic Movement of Ideas and the Readings of John Dewey’s Creed in its Intersection with Catholicism.” Robert Hurteau of Loyola-Marymount University chaired the second session on the United States, “Preconciliar American Catholics and Mission within the Mystical Body,” which included Katharine Harmon of University of Notre Dame speaking on “Art, Immigrants, and the Liturgical Life: Ellen Gates Starr and the Social Implications of the Liturgy”; Catherine Osborne of Fordham University on “Adaptation: Darwin’s Finches and American Catholic Views on Mission Architecture, 1920–1960”; and Charles Strauss of the University of Notre Dame on “Reawakening A Glory that Is Gone: Anglo-American Catholics Encounter Latin America in the 1940s and 1950s.”

Catholic diplomacy throughout the world was featured in four sessions. Paul Robichaud, C.S.P., Paulist Office for History, Washington, DC, chaired the session “International Perspectives on World War II Catholicism,” in which Douglas Slawson of the National University, San Diego spoke on “The National Catholic Welfare Conference and the American Occupation of Haiti, 1915–1934”and Uyilawa Usuanlele of State University of New York at Oswego discussed “Benin City Catholic Church Crisis (Nigeria): Irish Catholic Clergy versus African Nationalism.” Adrian Ciani of the University of Western Ontario chaired the session “Vatican Perspectives on International Collaborations in Peace and War,” which included papers by Carlos Parra of the University of Toronto on “Catholics at the Dawn of the Modern Global Interfaith Movement” and Dennis Castillo of Christ King Seminary, East Aurora, NY, on “Across the Battle Lines:The Vatican and Malta in World War II, 1940–43.” Roy Domenico of the University of Scranton chaired the session “Cold War Catholicism,” in which Charles Gallagher, S.J., of Boston College considered “The Rosenberg File of Pope Pius XII: Espionage, Antisemitism, & the Theological Politics of Capital Punishment,” Andrea...