Archdiocese of Baltimore Archives

Collection Description
This collection documents the founding, growth, and development of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. The records date from the creation of the Archdiocese in 1789. [For more information on the history of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, see Thomas Spalding's The Premier See: A History of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, 1789-1989 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989) or visit their website at: www.archbalt.org ].

The records in this collection are made up of several types and formats including documentary (paper), photographic, microfilm, and magnetic. There is also a small collection of artifacts and artworks, including paintings and relics. The documentary holdings include records such as correspondence, official/legal documents, registers, publications, sermons, diaries and journals. The photographic holdings include color and B&W prints, slides, and negatives, as well as albums and scrapbooks. The audio/visual collection has a small number of audiocassettes, 16mm film, and videotapes. The microfilm holdings include parish sacramental records, the Archbishops' papers, and the Archdiocesan newspapers.

The records in this collection are arranged in the following record series:

Access Policies
Authorized personnel from Archdiocesan offices may request records that their office created at any time with an office of origin request form. To arrange for the transfer of records to the Associated Archives, please fill out a records transfer form and contact the staff to arrange for pick up.

Every effort is made to open Archdiocesan records for research as expeditiously as possible. Federal, state, and Archdiocesan policies require that some of these records be closed to researchers for varying lengths of time.

Placing restrictions on the research use of records for specified lengths of time is a standard archival procedure that is part of the policy of most archival repositories. While the Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary and University is responsible for administering the records restriction policy, the policy itself is determined by the administrators of the Archdiocese who produce and use the records in the course of their activities. Restrictions are placed on the use of records in order to protect the rights of privacy of individuals and institutions. Restrictions of reasonable length facilitate research by ensuring the survival and completeness of the historical record.

Artifacts
The artifact collection is limited to a small collection of commemorative items, sacred objects, including relics, and portrait paintings of the Archbishops of Baltimore.

Audio/Visual
Size: approximately 2000 videotapes and 30-16mm films; date span: c. 1921-present.

The audio/visual collection is made up of a small number of 16 mm films taken at Archdiocesan special events, including the dedication of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Also included in this collection are approximately 2000 video tapes in Beta and VHS formats of Archdiocesan-sponsored programming, including Reel to Reel Productions and Catholic Review TV, as well as videos taken of Archdiocesan special events, including the installations of Abp. Borders and Abp. Keeler and the 1995 visit of Pope John Paul II.

Chancery
Records of the Chancellor’s Office. Size: 100 document cases and 20 records storage boxes; date range: c. 1875-1964. Letters to and from the Chancellors of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, 1922-1948, 51 document cases and 5 records storage boxes; typed finding aid; available on microfilm. Contains incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Chancellor’s office together with copies of circulars issued by the office. Arranged alpha-chron in order of succession, except for Rev. Joseph Nelligan, whose correspondence is arranged into two series: 1) alpha-chron and 2) topically.

Parish Notitiae (Annual Reports) Collection, 1875-1965; 15 records storage boxes; no finding aid available. Arranged alpha-chron by parish. Printed questionnaires concerning parish operations sent in to the Chancery. Contains information on and statistics for parish population, reception of sacraments, finances, and sodalities.

Parish Correspondence Files, c. 1914 – 1964; 49 document cases; no finding aid available. Contains the incoming and outgoing correspondence between the parishes of the archdiocese and the chancery, largely concerning administrative and financial matters.

Microfilm
Archbishops’ of Baltimore Papers. The papers of the following Archbishops of Baltimore have been microfilmed: John Carroll, Leonard Neale, Ambrose Maréchal, James Whitfield, Samuel Eccleston, Francis P. Kenrick, Martin J. Spalding, and James R. Bayley.

Catholic Mirror, 1850-1908. This weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore began publication on January 5, 1850 and ended publication on June 13, 1908. It was also used at various points in its history as the official organ for the Dioceses of Wheeling, Richmond, Wilmington, and the Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina. [Note: 1902 not microfilmed; miscellaneous issues missing from other volumes.]

Baltimore Catholic Review, 1913-1936. This weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore began publication on November 26, 1913 and ran to the issue of April 10, 1936, when its name was changed to the Catholic Review. The Archives has a complete run of the newspaper on microfilm.

[PLEASE NOTE: The archdiocese did not publish a newspaper between the period of June 14, 1908 – November 25, 1913.]

Catholic Review, 1936- . This weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore began publication on April 17, 1936. The Archives has a complete run of the newspaper on microfilm.

Catholic Review (Washington edition), 1944-1951. A Washington edition of the Catholic Review was published for the years 1944-1951 for the Catholics of the newly created Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. (est. 1939). The Archives has a complete run of this limited edition of the newspaper on microfilm.

Sacramental Registers. Efforts to microfilm the sacramental registers of the parishes that comprise the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been undertaken twice in the past fifty years. The first attempt was made in 1954 at the request of the Archbishop Francis P. Keough.* The Maryland State Archives made a second attempt beginning in 1977. A majority of the parishes participated in the first microfilming project. Less than half participated in the second. Microfilm copies of the registers microfilmed by the Maryland State Archives are available for researchers to work with at the Maryland State Archives, the Maryland Historical Society, and the Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary and University. The sacramental registers microfilmed by the archdiocese are available for researchers to work with only at the Associated Archives at St. Mary's Seminary and University. Click here to see a list of the parishes that had their registers microfilmed.

*: The archdiocese made the decision to microfilm the records beginning with the year 1875, regardless of parish establishment date.

New Cathedral Cemetery Records, 1871-1977. The records for New Cathedral Cemetery consist of plot books and daily registers that are arranged chronologically and alphabetically. The microfilm is available for researchers to work with at the Associated Archives and the Maryland Historical Society.

Archdiocese of Baltimore Annual Directory, 1920-1961. The archdiocese began to publish an annual directory in 1920. Information contained in the directory includes a list of the parishes, institutions, and organizations operating in the archdiocese and the names of priests and religious serving in the archdiocese.

Parish History
Size: 51 document cases, 5 flat storage boxes, 3 records storage boxes, and 20 registers; date span: c. 1793-present.

The Archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore maintains a Parish History Collection that is made up of published parish histories, subject files regarding the parishes and ethnic groups represented in the archdiocese, as well as miscellaneous parish account books, pew rent books, bulletins, and registers donated to the Archives, including the records for the Cathedral chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the pew rent books for St. John the Evangelist Church in Hydes.

Photographs
Size: 16 document cases, 13 flat storage boxes, 1 records storage box, oversize, and miscellaneous scrapbooks and albums; date span: c. 1850-present.

The Archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore has a small collection of photographs. The majority of the collection is made up of photographs of the Archbishops of Baltimore taken over the course of their administrations. There are also a small number of photographs of the archdiocese’s priests, institutions, and parishes, as well as of historic events that have taken place in the archdiocese.

The records in this series are in both black and white and color and vary from wallet-sized images to 11 x14 and larger. In addition to photographs, there are also slides and negatives.

Reference Library
The Archives maintains a reference library for the use of staff and researchers. While the majority of books are related to the history of the archdiocese, including biographies of Archbishops and other prominent individuals, there are a number of works on state and local history and the U.S. Catholic Church in general. The library also has copies of the archdiocese’s annual directory, the Official Catholic Directory, and the Annuario Pontificio. The Archives maintains subscriptions to the following journals: Catholic Historical Review, U.S. Catholic Historian, Maryland Historical Magazine, and Maryland Genealogical Society.