Atla Annual 2025

The Catholic News Archive (CNA) is a rich resource that offers valuable insight into a broad spectrum of research topics, ranging from theological and ecclesiastical studies to social, cultural, and political history. This presentation will highlight how scholars, students, and librarians can leverage Catholic newspapers to explore historical narratives, public discourse, and community dynamics.
Catholic newspapers have long served as platforms for religious communities to engage with pressing societal issues, including immigration, civil rights, education, labor movements, and international relations. By examining how these newspapers frame and respond to contemporary events, researchers can gain deeper insight into the intersection of faith and public life. The CNA’s extensive digital holdings provide access to primary source materials that reflect both localized and global perspectives, making it a vital tool for interdisciplinary research. Notably, the archive includes newspapers in non-English languages, which offer unique perspectives on immigrant communities and their engagement with Catholicism and broader societal issues.
This session will explore how scholars can utilize Catholic newspapers to investigate issues such as race relations, social justice movements, and Catholic perspectives on public policy. Additionally, it will provide practical guidance for navigating the CNA’s digital repository, incorporating it into coursework, and fostering critical engagement with historical media sources. Special attention will be given to the ecumenical slant of certain papers, such as the 'Catholic Worker', which engaged with broader social justice themes and interfaith dialogue.

Learning Outcome

An understanding of how the Catholic New Archive provides a unique Catholic perspective on historic events, social and cultural issues, and key community concerns.
How the Catholic News Archive can serve scholarly research needs of researchers from all denominations.
How the Catholic News Archive has changed and grown.
What the future of the Catholic News Archive looks like and how others can engage with its growth.

Audience Engagement

Through an examination of the information that can be found in the Catholic News Archive. The panel will ask the audience to connect with the Archive so they can explore different topics. It will ask the audience to consider the ways in which their researchers have had expressed needs and how the archive could support them now and in the future. There will be a discussion of where the platform currently is, where it might go, and how we can all help to grow the resource.