The American Catholic Historical Association was founded by a small group of historians assembled under the leadership of Peter Guilday in Cleveland, Ohio, in December, 1919. It was intended to be a national society that would bring together scholars scattered across the country and their non-professional supporters, all of whom were interested in the history of the Catholic Church or in Catholic aspects of secular history.

     Accordingly, from its earliest years the Association has pursued two main objectives. One is to promote a deeper and more widespread knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church broadly considered, that is, not only its internal life-- its growth and expansion from the apostolic age to the present and in all quarters of the earth, the development of its doctrine, discipline, polity, liturgy, spirituality, and piety, and its missionary, charitable, and educational activities--but also its relations with the civil government, the influence of its members, individually and collectively, on the intellectual, cultural, political, and social progress of mankind, and their attitudes toward their contemporary circumstances and problems. The other important aim is the advancemeent of historical scholarship in all fields among its members by rendering them various services, offering them opportunities of utilizing their talents, and according them public recognition for their demonstrated merits. The Association has always enjoyed the support of Catholic universities, colleges, and seminaries and has endeavored, in turn, to make itself especially helpful to their teachers and students.

     Amid the current concern for ecumenism and secular causes, the Association plays a positive role. It welcomes non-Catholics among its members and has elected many of them to its committees, its Executive Council, and even its presidency. As for its Catholic members, far from separating them from their colleagues outside its own ranks, it brings them into closer contact in the ways described below and at the same time helps them to preserve their religious identity, which is necessary for any meaningful dialogue among Christians and for any effective diffusion of truly human values in the world of today.

     At present there are approximately 1,100 members. They live in almost every state of the Union and in many foreign countries. Some of them are specialists in American history and others in ancient, medieval, modern European, Latin American, and other fields. Some concentrate on ecclesiastical and others on political, intellectual, cultural, social, and economic history. Some are professors, writers, and students of history, and others are amateurs who wish to deepen their knowledge of history and to support the various undertakings of the Association.

     The Association adopted as its official organ the CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW, which had been appearing quarterly since April, 1915. This journal is described in its own section of the website.

     The Association holds a general meeting each year on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday following New Year's Day. It meets in a different city each year but always jointly with the American Historical Association, with which it is affiliated, and with other historical societies.

     The appointment of an entirely new committee for the planning of each meeting ensures sufficient diversification to satisfy the needs of all the members from time to time. The program includes as many as fifteen sessions, several of which are often co-sponsored by other organizations such as the American Historical Association and the American Society of Church History. On Friday afternoon there is a business meeting followed by a social hour at which the members can become better acquainted with one another. On Saturday a luncheon is held at which the outgoing president delivers an address (which is subsequently published in the CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW) and the book prizes are announced and presented.

     Since 1972 the Association has held a meeting on a Friday and Saturday each spring. The hosts for these meetings have usually been Catholic universities and colleges in different parts of the country. The numerous sessions on a wide variety of topics as well as the prominent speakers at the Friday evening dinners have attracted many participants.

     The Association is the recognized Catholic voice in the historical profession in the United States. It is one of the three societies that make up the American National Commission of the International Commission for Comparative Church History.