James Cardinal Gibbons memorabilia collection

Collection

Identifier: SC-028

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The James Cardinal Gibbons memorabilia collection, 1869-1994, contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, plaques and jubilee souvenirs relating to Cardinal Gibbons' religious life and death. Two zucchettos worn by Cardinal Gibbons are enclosed in a wooden box and a turquoise box. The collection includes official photographs of the Cardinal as well as snapshots taken of him during his jubilee celebration and a visit to The White House. Cardinal Gibbons' hope pin is included along with an original, handwritten copy of his invocation speech at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. A plaque Cardinal Gibbons received upon his promotion to Archbishop of Baltimore can be found in the collection as well as an official death announcement plaque from March 1921. Additional items include a pamphlet dedicated to Cardinal Gibbons' memory, materials from The College of Notre Dame of Maryland's dedication of Gibbons Hall, a booklet about the founding of Cardinal Gibbons High School, and a pastoral letter written by the Cardinal in September 1919.

Dates

Creation: circa 1887-1994

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is located at the Loyola Notre Dame Library. Contact Archives and Special Collections for more information.

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The James Cardinal Gibbons memorabilia collection is the physical property of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Notre Dame Library. Copyright, except in cases where material has passed into the public domain, belongs to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns.

Biographical / Historical

James Gibbons was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 23, 1834 to Irish-born parents. Gibbons moved to Ireland with his family in 1839 as his father's health declined from tuberculosis. His mother moved the family to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1853 following his father's death in 1847. Gibbons decided to enter the priesthood after hearing a sermon by Clarence A. Walworth, a Paulist co-founder. He entered St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland in 1855 and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore in 1857.

On June 30, 1861, Gibbons was ordained to the priesthood at the Baltimore Cathedral. He was a curate at St. Patrick's Church for six weeks before becoming the first priest of St. Brigid's Church in Canton. In March 1868, he was appointed Apostolic Vicar and Titular Bishop of North Carolina by Pope Pius IX, making him the youngest bishop in the world. Gibbons became the Bishop of Richmond in July 1872 then Coadjutor Bishop of Baltimore in May 1877. In 1886, he was appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere becoming the second American to earn the rank in the Catholic Church. Gibbons was part of the creation of The Catholic University of America and served as its first Chancellor in 1887. He continued to serve the Catholic Church in Baltimore and champion American social causes, especially the rights of laborers, until his death on March 24, 1921. Historical information adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gibbons (accessed February 2019)

Extent

1.61 Cubic Feet (3 flat boxes and 1 legal half-size box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

James Gibbons was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 23, 1834 to Irish-born parents. In 1886, he was appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere, becoming the second American to earn the rank in the Catholic Church. The James Cardinal Gibbons memorabilia collection, 1869-1994, contains newspapers, correspondence, plaques, and jubilee souvenirs relating to Cardinal Gibbons' religious life and death. The collection includes official photographs of the Cardinal as well as snapshots taken of him during his jubilee celebration and a visit to The White House.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Items in this collection were loaned or donated to The College of Notre Dame of Maryland by the following people: Mr. and Mrs. Roche in 1961, Dr. and Mary Wintz Coffey in 1961, Mrs. James Gates (nee Frances Baker) on behalf of her sister Mrs. James Riley (nee Annie Baker) in 1961, Helen Curley Tingley in October 1962, Daisy Mosley in April 1969, and the New Orleans Public Library City Archives and Special Collections in 2021.