Catholic University in Washington, D.C. is pleased to announce a free new
primary document website on the Bishops’ Program of Social Reconstruction of 1919. Written by Father John A. Ryan and released by the National Catholic War Council (the forerunner of the National Catholic Welfare Conference), the Bishops’ Program offered a guide for overhauling America’s politics, society, and economy based on Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum and a variety of American influences.
The site explores the Bishops’ Program, from its origins in the uncertainty of the immediate post-World War One period, to the ideas that informed its author Father John A.Ryan, through its reception by the Catholic community and the broader public upon its release.
The Bishops’ Program of Social Reconstruction site contains:
1. Thirty-five documents and more than two dozen photographs related to the National Catholic War Council.
2. Background information on the creation of the Bishops’ Program.
3. A Chronology of events surrounding the creation of the plan toward
placing it in broader historical context.
4. A Further Reading list for deeper exploration of the Program.
5. A History Standards page for teacher who wish to integrate the site
documents into the U.S. History curriculum.
6. A So What? section suggesting broader themes and issues the site
illuminates.
The site is part of the American Catholic History Classroom at the Catholic University Archives and can be found at:
http://libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/bishops/1919_wel.htmlFiled under: Church-State, Social Doctrine, Social Justice
Brian R Corbin's Reflections on Religion and Life 