NCOD Other Resources

Collection

Identifier: DCA004-RES

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 NCOD is the National Catholic Office of the Deaf national organization. The NCOD series includes information from the organization and its events. Included are programs, flyers, meeting minutes and histories from the conventions of the NCOD. This series also includes Regional conference materials, newsletters published under the NCOD and information on local chapters of the organization.

Dates

Creation: 1973-2022

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.

The start of the International Catholic Deaf Association was the convention, held July 1949 in Toronto, Canada by prominent Catholic Deaf individuals. This Congress of the Catholic Deaf in Canada and United States worked with ten priests to lay plans for an International Organization. James, Cardinal McGuigan, who was Archbishop of Toronto, gave the project his blessings. From these initial efforts evolved the ICDA.