Title

Documenting Ethnicity, Gender, Race, and Interfaith Dialogue in Historical Context Within the Archdiocese of Newark and Seton Hall University, 1853-2006

Investigators

Alan Delozier

Granting Agency

Digital Humanities Committee Seed Grant, Seton Hall University

Award Date

2017

Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

The goal of this project is to find select key documents from the University Archives related to the different aspects of Catholic life within the state of NJ covering not only the clergy, but also the laity; addressing gender, culture race, and interfaith issues to varying degrees from the 17th century to the present day in order to provide an introduction to the life and works of those who helped sustain the Archdiocese and Seton Hall The project will utilize a blog site to offer more open access to historical development as a result of these diverse contributions.

Abstract: From its earliest days, the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark was created to offer spiritual guidance and administer to the Catholic population of New Jersey. From here, one of the first major objectives made by the founding prelate Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley was to establish a college (Seton Hall) to help with educating the young with an objective of offering a: “ . . . good education in the highest sense of the word . . . , but this also carried over to all he encountered which represented a growing and diverse community of individuals representing different backgrounds aside from the Catholic Church alone. In the spirit of devotion to his aunt, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, the foundress of the Sisters of Charity whose own mission was educating the youth of the world and the Archdiocese of Newark and Seton Hall remained linked to this day by heritage and example. Beyond the formation period, Catholics and other minority groups on the whole had their own desire and need to preserve and document their traditions and as they became more assimilated into the mainstream of American society. The existence and continuation of influences within and outside the Church have added to the story and its varied dimensions of note. The earliest faithful were of English, Irish, German, or French origin and led the way for those from Italy, Poland, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each of these groups and others enhanced the depth and spirit of worship within the Archdiocese of Newark as it reached its centennial year and beyond through establishment of their own ethnic parishes, how different religious groups interacted as they arrived in America and/or on campus and shared neighborhood space and learned about and lived with those of various Protestants denominations, the Jewish faith, and Islam in particular, unique cultures, and adapting to evolving American ways of life as a result of their time here and within the spirit of co-existence. The initial goal of this project is to find select key documents to provide an introduction to the life and works of those who helped sustain the Archdiocese and Seton Hall and also offering more open access to historical development as a result of these diverse contributions.

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