Catholic Church Resources

Encyclopedias

New Catholic Encyclopedia
Ref. BX 841.N44
Good for overview articles and bibliographies that
lead to in-depth resources. The 2002 edition
contains both new articles and reprints from the
1967 edition. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
(Ref. BX 841 .C25 1913) is useful for historical
topics and saints.

Almanacs and Directories

Catholic Almanac
AY 81.R6 N277 Latest volume at the Reference
Desk; earlier volumes on Level 1.
Covers current events in the Church, liturgical
developments, organizations, statistics, religious
orders, and many other up-to-date facts.

Official Catholic Directory

(“Kennedy Directory”)

BX 845.C5 Latest volume at the Reference Desk.
On Level 1, under various titles, volumes start with
the year 1886. Arranged by diocese, this directory
covers all types of Catholic institutions in the U.S.
Also includes statistics and fold-out map.

Annuario Pontifico

Ref. Desk BX 841.H37

World-wide directory of the Catholic Church. Table
of Contents is on the inside of the cover.
“Arcidiocesi e Diocesi” section gives contact info of
dioceses and archdioceses. “Istituti Religiosi”
section lists headquarters of religious orders.

Church Documents

Councils

Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils
Ref. BX 825.A 1990
Original language and English translations of the
decrees. Several useful indexes.

Sacrorum Conciliorum....

Paris: H. Welter, 1901-27.

Ref. BX 825.S3 1901
The largest collection of documents relating to
ecumenical and local councils. Council decrees and

supporting documents in the original languages are
arranged in chronological order. To find the date of
documents, look up its name in Dizionario dei Concili
(Ref. BX 822.D59 1963); use references to “Mansi”

Papal and Other Documents

The Papal Encyclicals, 1740 –1981
Papal Pronouncements: A Guide, 1740 –1978
Ref. BX 860.A33 and Ref. BX 850.C37 1990
Gives sources for original language and English
translations of papal documents. Indexed by title
and subject.

The Documents of Vatican II
Ref. BX 830 .1962 .A3 .G26
English translation of the sixteen official texts.

Vatican Council II

. Austin Flannery

BX830 .1962 .A3 .F56
Includes conciliar and post-conciliar texts.

Daniel O’Hanlon Vatican II Collection, 1962-1969

GTU Archives # 85-5-02

Collection of Professor Emeritus O’Hanlon, who
was the interpreter/guide for the Protestant and
Orthodox English speaking observers.

Marquette University Index
Ref. Desk BX 1404 U5 Z9 1991
Index to US Catholic Conference documents, and
the documents of other US bodies.

Catholic Periodical and Literature Index

(CPLI)

http://library.gtu.edu/databases.html

and

Ref. AI 3.C3 (1930- )
Indexes periodical sources for original language and
English translations of church documents.
Search for encyclicals entering topic in KEYWORD
combined with the term “encyclical;” in print
version look up encyclicals by pope.

Search GRACE by author for individual works; e.g.:

•

John Paul II, Pope

•

United States Catholic Conference

Canon Law

(Codex Juris Canonici / Codex Iuris Canonici)

The Code of Canon Law (Revised Code of Canon Law)

Ref. BX 1935 .A36 1983

English translation of the 1983 Code.

A Concise Guide to Canon Law
Ref. BX 1935 M24 2000
A clear summary of the Code’s practical points.

The 1917 or Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law in
English Translation with Extensive Scholarly Apparatus
Ref. KBU 2210.A52 2001

An Introduction to Canon Law
KBU 160 C675 2004
See Appendix I, “Doing Research in Canon Law”

Liturgy

New Dictionary of the Liturgy
Ref. BV 173.P613 1966
Brief definitions and history of rites and objects.

Handbook of the Mass
BX 2230.2 F53 1982
A layperson’s guide to the mass. Handy glossary.

The Sacramentary
Ref. BX 2037.A4 1985 (also Level 1)
Also called the Missal. Contains a copy of the
General Instruction of the Roman Missal (1975). The
General Instruction (2003) can be found at

http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanie
n.htm

Lectionary for Mass
BX 2003 .A4 1998

Rites of the Catholic Church
Ref. BX 2035.A4 1990

The Book of Catholic Prayer
Ref. BX2130 .B66 2000
Includes a contemporary psalter and other prayers.

Gather

(hymnal)

M 2119 G38 1994
Gather Comprehensive

(hymnal)

M 2119 G38 1994b

Saints

Butler’s Lives of the Saints
Ref. BX 4664 .B8 1995
Brief biographies of saints, listed by feast day.

New Saints and Blesseds of the Catholic Church
Ref. BX 2330 .H6413 2000
Blesseds and saints canonized during 1979-83.

Journal Articles
The following are the prime sources for locating
topics and documents within Catholic periodicals:

Catholic Periodical and Literature Index

(CPLI)

Ref. AI 3.C3 (1930- )

web database available at

http://library.gtu.edu/databases.html

.

Guide to Catholic Literature

Ref. Z 7837.G9 (1888 - 1967)

Additional journals (including full-text articles) may
be searched on other religion databases found at:

http://library.gtu.edu/databases.html

.

Call Number Areas for Books
Using GRACE (the library catalog) is the best
method for finding specific titles and topics, but call
numbers are listed to help you browse for materials.

BX 820-837 Councils
845

Directories, yearbooks

850-875 Documents
940-1745 History
1757-1759 Moral theology
1935 Canon Law see also KB
1958-1968 Creeds and catechisms
1969-2175 Liturgy and ritual
2200-2292 Sacraments
2400-4556 Monasticism; religious orders
4700 Saints
KB

Canon Law

Internet
The Library’s Roman Catholic Resources Web pages
will lead you to many church documents, liturgical
works, and official and special interest sites.

http://library.gtu.edu/links/christian.html#Catholic

For More Resources

Critical Guide to Catholic Reference Books

Ref. Desk Z 7837 .M32 1989

Find additional information, and determine the
actual titles of works.

See also the Information Sheet, Church History.

Graduate Theological Union Library

Reference Section 8/2005

2400 Ridge Road

Telephone: [phone]

Berkeley, CA 94709

FAX: [phone]

http://library.gtu.edu

An online version of this InfoSheet it at http://library.gtu.edu/tutorials/catholic.pdf

Email: [e-mail]