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To illustrate Saint Louis University's commitment to justice throughout its
more than 180-year history, the University Archives of Pius XII Memorial Library
has developed an exhibit highlighting several of its collections that focus
attention on issues of justice and human rights.
The exhibit showcases five historical collections: The St.
Vincent de Paul Society, St. Elizabeth's Parish,
Father Daniel A. Lord, S. J.,
Joseph C. Husslein, S. J., and
The Latin American Office. Each represents a
different period in University history and provides a unique perspective on
the theme of justice for all.
THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY (1870-1920)
The Society, founded in France in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old college
student, is an international Catholic organization of lay men and women who attempt,
in a spirit of justice and charity, to help those who are suffering. Assistance
is provided at the local level by person-to-person contact.
By 1860 there were some 2500 St. Vincent de Paul "conferences" with more
than 50,000 members worldwide. In 1995 there were 875,000 members spread among
46,600 conferences in 130 countries on five continents. The first conference
formed in the United States was organized in St. Louis in 1845 at the Old Cathedral.
The Archives contains records of the St. Francis Xavier (College) Church Conference
dating from about 1870 to 1920, mostly minutes of meetings at which aid to various
individuals and financial matters of the Conference were discussed.
ST. ELIZABETH'S PARISH (1898-1951)
St. Elizabeth's Church, founded in 1873 at 14th and Gay Streets, was the fourth
parish in the United States intended exclusively for black Catholics. As such it
functioned for almost 100 years, its parish boundaries the borders of the city itself.
In 1950 Archbishop Ritter closed the church as a means to encourage blacks to take their
rightful place in their neighborhood congregations.
Father William Markoe, S. J. became pastor of St. Elizabeth's in 1927. "Father
Markeo was a militant," recalled one friend of the parish. "He was a realist
but he asked no quarter and gave none on human rights." "Father Markoe was
not above going to the Apostolic Delegate in Washington if he could not get something for
his people through normal channels," noted a later St. Elizabeth's pastor. Markoe
also served for a time as editor of the Interracial Review, which began life as the
St. Elizabeth's Chronicle and became a famous forum for the discussion of interracial
issues in the context of Catholic teaching on social justice. Unhappily, Markoe's
outspoken advocacy of black rights alienated some leaders in the hierarchy, and in 1942 he
was transferred out of St. Louis.
St. Elizabeth's served as a laboratory for several Catholic initiatives to aid the working
man. Father George T. Andrews, S. J., Markoe's successor as pastor, started coal- and
chicken-buying cooperatives among his parishioners during the 1940s. The vibrant
life of the parish was also evident in the existence of some 16 parish organizations.
Father Andrews attributed St. Elizabeth's success to "solid Catholicism based on the
spiritual exercises and the solid education offered."
The St. Elizabeth's Parish file contains pamphlets and clippings on the history
of the church as well as several manuscript letters by Ignatius Panken, S. J.,
one of its early pastors. This material dates from 1898 to 1951. The
Archives also possesses a complete run of the Interracial Review (1928-1971).
FATHER DANIEL A. LORD, S. J. (1888-1955)
Father Lord was the most widely recognized producer of popular religious literature for
American Catholics in the middle of the 20th century. From the time he entered the
Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus in Florissant in 1909 until his death in 1955, St. Louis
served as his base of operations. Starting out as the national secretary of the
Sodality of Our Lady, Father Lord had become its national director by 1926 as well as the
editor of its premier publication, The Queen's Work. Between 1927 and 1955 Lord published
literally hundreds of pamphlets, books, and songs under the auspices of the magazine.
Although many of these dealt with strictly religious questions, Lord was also a tireless
advocate of racial and economic justice, particularly during the 1930s and 1940s. At
this time world problems, both domestic and international, pushed Lord into articulating a
Catholic alternative to the secular world's solutions of state socialism or unfettered
capitalism.
In the Lord Manuscript Collection are over 500 pamphlets, plays, and musical
compositions written or edited by Father Lord. Of particular interest are
the numerous items that he created for children, including coloring books and
musical plays. In spite of the energy he devoted to the important religious
and social issues of the "real" world, Lord's passion for the welfare,
spiritual growth, and happiness of young people burned constantly.
JOSEPH C. HUSSLEIN, S. J. (1873-1952)
Father Husslein, although now largely forgotten, was an influential Catholic social
theorist and educator at Saint Louis University during the middle third of the 20th
century. He was a visionary who labored his entire life to guarantee justice and
opportunity to all people. Husslein taught sociology, social economics, and social
work at the University, founding the School of Social Service in 1930 and serving as its
dean until 1941. For Husslein, the teachings of the Church held the answers to
virtually all social problems. He argued that, historically, Christian morality as
reflected in the guild system had served to protect the rights of labor. As an
antidote to modern laissez faire capitalism, Husselein proposed what he called
"democratic industry," a combination of guild principles with Pope Leo XIII's
call for a wider distribution of wealth. Husslein's system was characterized by profit
sharing, cooperative banks and stores, co-partnerships, and co-production.
The most interesting part of the Husslein Manuscript Collection is the correspondence
exchanged by Husslein and Catholic authors for the three series of books he developed in cooperation with the Bruce Publishing Company of Milwaukee: Science and Culture, Science and Culture Texts, and Religion and Culture. The works in these series covered such diverse topics as biography, history, literature, the natural and social sciences, art, psychology, philosophy, and scripture. Husslein edited 212 books for these series and authored twenty books of his own, along with hundreds of articles.
THE LATIN AMERICAN OFFICE (1963-1971)
From 1963 to 1971, Saint Louis University operated the Latin American Office on the Frost
campus. This entity functioned as an umbrella for University cooperation with a variety
of programs such as the Peace Corps and the U. S. Agency for International Development.
The office helped provide educational, community development, and economic development
services to several underdeveloped nations of Latin America. The University collaborated
with the federal government to offer training to deserving students from these countries and
encouraged them to return home to put their acquired knowledge and skills to work for others.
Among the interesting items in the Latin American Office Records are Peace Corps manuals
and brochures, dossiers on students brought from Latin America to study at North American
colleges and universities, information on several Catholic volunteer aid programs, and
reports from University participants in overseas aid initiatives.
John Waide
Christine Harper
February 2001
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