Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records CMS.023B Finding Aid Prepared by Mary Elizabeth Brown
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Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records CMS.023B Finding aid prepared by Mary Elizabeth Brown This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit September 20, 2013 Describing Archives: A Content Standard Center for Migration Studies December 1996 Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records Table of Contents Summary Information ................................................................................................................................. 3 Biographical/Historical note.......................................................................................................................... 5 Scope and Contents note............................................................................................................................... 6 Arrangement note...........................................................................................................................................7 Administrative Information .........................................................................................................................8 Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................9 Other Finding Aids note..............................................................................................................................10 Collection Inventory.................................................................................................................................... 11 Series I: Refugees Resettled..................................................................................................................11 Series II: Displaced Persons, Ships and Planes.................................................................................. 142 Series III: Catholic Committee on Refugees, Children.......................................................................247 Series IV: 1970s.................................................................................................................................. 280 Series V: International Catholic Office for Refugee Affairs.............................................................. 282 Series VI: Catholic Committee on Refugees, Clergy......................................................................... 295 Series VII: Office Files....................................................................................................................... 344 Series VIII: Books............................................................................................................................... 389 Series IX: Photographs........................................................................................................................ 393 - Page 2 - Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records Summary Information Repository Center for Migration Studies Creator National Catholic Welfare Conference. Creator United States Catholic Conference. Title United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records Date [inclusive] 1921-1975 Extent 160.0 Linear feet in 159 record cartons and two manuscript boxes. Language English Language of Materials note Materials are in English with some Italian, German, Spanish, and other languages. Abstract This collection contains the records of four agencies formed or affiliated with the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugees Services (USCC): The New York Office of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Department of Migration (later the USCC), the Catholic Committee on Refugees, the International Catholic Office for Refugees, and the War Relief Services (later the Catholic Relief Services). This collections contains case records, manifests, office files, publications, photographs, and other materials related to Catholic immigration to the United States, mostly during World War II and the post-war period. The materials demonstrate the aid provided by the agencies, but also materials on the migrants and refugees themselves. Preferred Citation note - Page 3 - Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records Center for Migration Studies of New York; United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records (CMS 023B); Box; Folder. - Page 4 - Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records Biographical/Historical note This collection is made up four separate agencies' records: National Catholic Welfare Conference, Bureau/Department of Immigration (later the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services) The United States Catholic Conference (USCC) Department of Immigration is the successor organization of the National Catholic Welfare Conference. The National Catholic Welfare Conference (NCWC) Department of Immigration was a bureau/department of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, established in December 1920 directly under the Executive Department of the the NCWC. The NCWC was founded in 1919 by the bishops of the United States, as an outgrowth of the National Catholic War Council, which coordinated welfare activities of of the United States Catholic Church during World War I. Their aim was to unify, coordinate, and organize Catholic activities in the areas of education, social welfare, immigrant aid, citizenship, family life, and other activities. In 1921, the NCWC Bureau of Immigration created a New York Port office (located at 61 Whitehall Street), in addition to its Washington DC office, with Thomas Mulholland as Port Director. Many agencies were formed by the NCWC in response to Nazi Germany and later World War II. It formed the International Catholic Office for Refugee Affairs in 1939, the Catholic Committee for Refugees in 1936, and the War Relief Services (later the Catholic Relief Services) in 1943, in addition to other agencies. The end of World War II did not mean the end of the new agencies. Refugee situations persisted long after the war, and the U.S. hierarchy was aware that the agencies could be used to meet new emergencies as they arose. Recognizing the continuing importance of immigration, the NCWC elevated the Bureau of Immigration to the Department of Immigration in 1953. In 1965, the NCWC reorganized the above agencies, folding both the Catholic Committee for Refugees and the Catholic Relief Services into the Department of Immigration. Coincidentally, New York City condemned the building the Port Office occupied, and so that office joined the Catholic Committee for Refugees at 265 West 14th Street. In 1968, the NCWC was reorganized and replaced by the United States Catholic Conference and the National Council of Catholic Bishops. The USCC was the secular arm of the two organizations, headed by John I. McCarthy. The name of its Department of Immigration was changed to Migration and Refugee Services. The goals of the department were to aid immigrants and refugees of all nationalities, in particular foreign priests, to resettle in the United States and to advocate and put forward immigration legislation. In 2001, the USCC and the NCCB were combined to form the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). International Catholic Office for Refugee Affairs The International Catholic Office for Refugee Affairs (ICO) was established on January 1, 1939 at an international conference meeting at Evian, France to address the refugee situation being created by Nazi German's racial and political policies. Those attending the meeting voted to create the ICO. The new agency's headquarters were in Utrecht, and the executive director was Dr. J.I.J.M. Schmutzer, a prominent Dutch Catholic layman. The Utrecht office established a branch office in New York City, under the direction of another layman, Dr. Frederick W. Hess. In the spring of 1940, the Nazis invaded - Page 5 - Guide to the United States Catholic Conference, Migration and Refugee Services Records the Netherlands and imprisoned Dr. Schmutzer. The Utrecht office was reduced to a mail office, helping people to make contact with friends and relatives behind enemy lines, and the New York office took over the bulk of the work. On May 1, 1941, Dr. Hess entered the U.S. armed forces and the ICO ceased to exist. Catholic Committee for Refugees The Catholic Committee for Refugees was organized at the annual meeting of the National Catholic Welfare Conference in 1963 under the name Committee for Catholic Refugees from Germany as a response to Nazi repression. The first Episcopal Chairman was the Archbishop of New Orleans, Reverend Joseph F. Rummel, the first director of the committee, Reverend Joseph D. Ostermann. The first office for the committee was at the Leo House, a German immigrant aid center in New York City. The committee was later charged with the operation of the Bishops' Orphan Program which secured adoptive homes in the United States for approximately 4000 orphaned in children from Europe and Asia. The committee also aided in the relocation of immigrant professionals and priests. Ostermann was succeeded as director by Reverend Emil N. Komora in 1940 when the named changed to the Catholic Committee for Refugees. In 1965, the committee was subsumed into the National Catholic Welfare