Santa Barbara Catholic Deaf Community

Collection

Identifier: DCA001-SANT-CA-1984

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Deaf Catholic Archives (DCA) collection includes magazines, newsletters and convention information from the International Catholic Deaf Association; magazines and convention information from the National Catholic Office for the Deaf; local newsletters from hundreds of dioceses in the US, Canada and internationally; Sign Language books, Bibles, glossed readings and videos of Biblical stories in ASL (American Sign Language). There are also religious education materials, including guidelines for teachers and materials for Deaf children and adults; yearbooks and newsletters from Catholic Schools for the Deaf; and other materials relating to the Deaf Catholic community and individuals and the pastoral care for Deaf and hard of hearing people. Additionally, there are books about Deaf Catholics and their history and culture.

The largest series in the collection is Newsletters. The DCA has more than 220 different newsletters, from over 10 countries including the United States, Canada, Trinidad, England, Ireland, Spain, Italy, India, Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand and are published online in CrossWorks, the institutional repository of the College.

Dates

Creation: 1984-1987

Conditions Governing Access

No Restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

Materials believed to be under copyright or other restrictions are available for limited noncommercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined by United States copyright law and with proper citation. Please note that the College of the Holy Cross may not hold the rights to all items in this collection. Users assume responsibility for identifying all copyright holders and for determining whether permission is needed to make any use of the content. For questions regarding rights, please contact deafcatholicarchives@holycross.edu.

Historical Note

In 1975, Mary Garland, a Deaf woman, gave a box of old materials about Deaf Catholics to Joseph Bruce, a Deaf Jesuit novice. These materials included news clippings, photographs, newsletters, reports and minutes of meetings relating to the Deaf Catholic community. Very quickly, other pastoral workers assigned to Deaf ministry all over the US and Canada began sending their newsletters to Mr. Bruce. The collection grew significantly in 1977 when, on a visit to Canada, Sr. Elizabeth Kass, S. P. gave Mr. Bruce several boxes of newsletters written in English that were going to be destroyed if left in French Canada, pleading with him to return with them to the US to preserve them. By 1985, the collection had grown to 15 file cabinets that traveled with the now Rev. Bruce (ordained a priest in 1981) to his various assignments. The collection was donated to the Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA in 1990 and continues to grow, curated by Rev. Bruce.

Extent

26 Volumes

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Acquisition Note

The Deaf Catholic Archive collection was donated to the College of the Holy Cross in 1990 by Rev. Joseph Bruce, S. J.

Related Materials

Other newsletters for Deaf Catholics in California:

The Ephpheta Bulletin 1974 – 1977 (Los Angeles)
St. Bernard’s Bulletin for the Deaf 1978 – 1981 (Los Angeles)
The Catholic Signpost 1981 – 1985 (Los Angeles)
Fr. Ken–Son Times 1981 – 1982 (Los Angeles)
St. Joseph’s News Center for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired 1960 – 1982 (Oakland)
Newsletter the Catholic Deaf Community 2000 – 2002 (Sacramento)
The Mustard Seed 1975 – 1984 (San Diego)
Dandelion News 1982 – 1986 (San Diego)
Signing the Cross 1998 (San Diego)
St. Benedict Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 1974 – 1990 (San Francisco)
The Rainbow Bridge Newsletter 1987 (San Francisco)
Sign of the Times 1992 – 1999 (San Francisco)
St. Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin 2019 (San Francisco)
Saint Clare Catholic Deaf Community 1988 – 1989 (San Jose)