New Catholic Encyclopedia

The New Catholic Encyclopedia is a multi-volume reference work on Roman Catholic history and belief edited by the faculty of The Catholic University of America and originally published by McGraw-Hill in 1967. A second edition, incorporating material from the original edition and supplements, along with additional revisions, was published by Gale Publishing, a part of Cengage Learning, in 2002. It was awarded Library Journals Best Reference Source 2003.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia is intended to be a standard reference work for students, teachers, librarians, journalists, and general readers interested in the history, doctrine, practices, and people of the Catholic faith. The original Catholic Encyclopedia was published between 1907 and 1914 by The Encyclopedic Press Inc. (formerly the Robert Appleton Company); supplements followed in 1922 and 1958. In 1967, the Catholic University of America, in collaboration with the McGraw-Hill Book Company, produced an entirely new work, the 15-volume New Catholic Encyclopedia. Supplemental volumes appeared in 1974, 1979, 1989, and 1996. A second edition was published in 2002.

In addition to the hundreds of signed articles on a wide variety of topics, this new edition also features biographies of contemporary religious figures; thousands of photographs, maps and illustrations; and updated bibliographical citations. The 15th volume is a cumulative index to the entire encyclopedia.

In 2001, in collaboration with the Catholic University of America, Gale published Jubilee Volume: The Wojtyla Years which focuses on the pontificate of John Paul II and includes thematic essays that present the man and his work under such headings as: "The Papacy of John Paul II", "Church Documents", "People and Places", "Institutions and Events" and "Saints and Blesseds".

In the summer of 2006, the publisher, Gale, together with the Catholic University of America Press, developed a plan for ongoing updating of the Second Edition in both print and electronic (eBook) formats. There will be new entries as well as revised and updated articles from either the 1967 or 2002 editions. The updating is intended to provide readers with entries on topics related to Catholic faith and culture, with a special focus on the United States. These new entries include biographies as well as articles on movements, organizations, documents and ideas that are either Catholic or of special interest to Catholics. The first of these New Catholic Encyclopedia supplemental volumes, Supplement 2009, published in June 2009 electronically and in November 2009 in print, focuses on the theme of Science and the Church. It also updates all of the entries on the Catholic Church in each of the fifty States as well as all of the 33 Archdioceses in the US. Supplement 2010, published in June 2010 focuses on the Church in Modern History, particularly World War II and after. It includes about 200 entries on the men and women who have been beatified or canonized since 2003 (or in a few cases earlier). Most of the Beatified are new entries—those not appearing in the 2nd edition, while most of the Saints are revised and updated entries from the 2nd edition. This supplement has more new entries than revised and updated ones. Supplement 2011 and 2012 will focus on the Church and the Arts and Music, and Ethics and Philosophy respectively.

See also

• Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)