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Roman Catholic Church History: Basic Sources

General Histories
Thomas Bokenkotter. A Concise History of the Catholic Church (revised and expanded edition). 1990. (BX945.2 .B64 1990)

William J. Collinge. Historical Dictionary of Catholicism. 1997. (Reference BX945.2 .C65 1997)

Michael Glazier and Thomas J. Shelley, editors. The Encyclopedia of American Catholic History. 1997. (Reference BX1406.2 .E53 1997)

J. Derek Holmes and Bernard W. Bickers. A Short History of the Catholic Church. "New Millennium Edition," 2002. (BX945.2.H63 2002)

Hubert Jedin and John Dolan, editors. History of the Church. 1980 —. (Reference and Stacks BR145.2 .J413 1980) Ten volumes; volumes I, III, and IV are titled Handbook of Church History.

New Catholic Encyclopedia (2nd edition). 2003. (Reference BX841 .N44 2003) Many articles on historical topics. Use the Index (Volume 15) to find where particular topics are treated.
NOTE: The content of the online Catholic Encyclopedia dates from 1913. While it contains valuable historical information, readers should consult more current sources for updated scholarship.

Online chronology: Dates and Events in Catholic History, 1st Century to 10th Century and 11th Century to 20th Century from the Catholic Almanac Online.

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Saints' Lives
David Hugh Farmer. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. 1997. (Reference BR1710 .F34 1997) Also available through Oxford Reference Online on all campus networked computers -- select "Religion and Philosophy."

On the Internet: Catholic Online Saints and Angels

Butler's Lives of the Saints. New Full Edition, 1995. 12 volumes, one for each month of the year. (Reference BX4654 .B8 1995)

Bert Ghezzi. Voices of the Saints: A Year of Readings. 2000. (Reference BX4655.2 .G49 2000) Each brief biography includes "a substantial quotation by or about the saint, giving you a feel for what he or she was really like" (Introduction).

Ferdinand Holböck. Married Saints and Blesseds Through the Centuries. 2002. (Reference BX4655.3 .H6413 2002)

Kathleen Jones. Women Saints: Lives of Faith and Courage. 1999. (Reference BX4656 .J66 1999)

Richard P. McBrien. Lives of the Saints: from Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to John XXIII and Mother Teresa. 2001. (Reference BX4655.3 .M33 2001) In addition to the lives of holy women and men (both canonized and uncanonized), this volume includes articles on the politics of canonization and the differences between various schools of Christian spirituality.

Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J. Jesuit Saints and Martyrs. Second edition, 1998. (Reference and Stacks BX3755 .T94 1998)

Kenneth L. Woodward. Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn't, and Why.