CATHOLIC DIRECTORY, OFFICIAL

Published annually by P. J. Kennedy & Sons, New York, the Official Catholic Directory provides up-to-date information about the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, organized diocese by diocese in alphabetical order, including the dioceses of the various Eastern Catholic Churches. The listings give the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the ordinary, past and present, and auxiliary bishops; the clergy, parishes, diocesan offices and commissions, educational institutions within the diocese, religious orders and congregations represented, medical facilities; in short, all Catholic organizations that have diocesan recognition. The information is derived from reports submitted to the publishers by the ecclesiastical authorities of each diocese.

Preceding the main body of the directory are sections devoted to the organization of the papacy and the Roman Curia, the College of Cardinals, the Apostolic Nunciature, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the United States Catholic Conference. In the back of the book, following the listing of the dioceses, is a brief summary of the organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and Mexico. There is a detailed directory of all the American foreign missions. A page is devoted to the United States Conference of Secular Institutes. There is also a directory with the address and phone numbers of the headquarters of the male and female religious orders in the United States. There are listings of mission churches in the U.S.; the cardinals, archbishops, and bishops in the U.S.; an alphabetical index of all the secular and regular clergy; and a necrology for the previous year. An appendix provides information on places of pilgrimage in the U.S.

Although the word "official" in the title dates only from 1905, this directory began in 1886. Until 1899 it was called Hoffmann's Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List. However, this directory had three predecessors and is considered to be their direct successor. In 1817, the Catholic Laity's Directory to the Church Service was published. This was followed in 1822 by The Laity's Directory to the Church Service. Both these items served as directories for the Church in the U.S. From 1833 until 1896 this purpose was served by Sadlier's Catholic Directory, Almanac and Ordo.

[r. b. miller]