The Catholic Evidence Guild is a lay movement which seeks the diffusion of Catholic teachings through the instrumentality of outdoor speaking. It was initiated in London's Westminster Cathedral Hall by Vernon Redwood on April 24, 1918, and began its outdoor work in Hyde Park on August 4, 1918. The organization's goal was to educate non-Roman Catholics to the teachings of the church by means of assemblies, at which Guild members (priests as well as laypersons) would speak and take questions from interested listeners. Guild talks were intended to be doctrinal and expository, never extradoctrinal or oratorical. Through the efforts of individuals such as publishers Frank and Maisie Ward Sheed, the movement spread to the United States in 1931 and was ultimately represented in several cities, notably Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Hays (Kansas), New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Waterbury.
The Washington Catholic Evidence Guild was formed by Paul B. Ward, C.S.P. and two members of the faculty of the Catholic University of America, Reverend Drs. Charles A. Hart and William H. Russell. One of the Guild's most active participants was Harry J. Kirk (1889-1987), who served as President of the Washington Guild (1940-1942) and the National Catholic Evidence Conference (NCEC) (1940-1943). He was also a member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (1931-1977), a national Catholic charity, and Treasurer for the National Conference of Catholic Charities (NCCC) in the 1950s. Facing pressures from disapproving clergy members and new district laws prohibiting "soap-box" speakers in national parks, the Washington Guild was disbanded in 1948, although some Paulist priests and seminarians continued to meet for a time afterwards. The Guilds went into general decline, and only the New York and Guam chapters exist today.
Series 1: Catholic Evidence Activities (1934-1946) focuses on the accomplishments of the Washington, DC Catholic Evidence Guild, including their weekly open air apostolate missions in Franklin Park and in Northern Virginia, and their seasonal activities, including the annual public Stations of the Cross and door-to-door Christmas caroling. This series also contains correspondence between members of the Guild, primarily Harry Kirk, and other religious institutions, articles that were circulated among group members, an annual report, and news clippings of the group and their audiences.
Series 2: National Catholic Evidence Conference (1941-1944) consists of manuscripts bound by Harry Kirk regarding the tenth and thirteenth annual conferences. Kirk modified the proceedings notes, articles, schedules, and speakers lists with personal commentary.
Series 3: Supplemental Materials (1933-1983) consists of articles, schedules of events, and materials prepared for publication, primarily by Harry Kirk, regarding the activities of the Catholic Evidence Guild and other open air apostolate missions.
The Washington Catholic Evidence Guild Collection consists of three series:
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Russell, William Henry
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
This collection was donated in two parts by Harry J. Kirk and his estate in 1984 and 2011.
Processing completed in September 2011 by Lauren Kanne. EAD markup completed in September 2011 by Lauren Kanne.
This series focuses on the activites of the Washington, DC Catholic Evidence Guild, including prepared manuscripts and reports, correspondence, newsclippings and photographs of the group and their audiences, and articles collected and distributed among the group.
This series consists of bound manuscripts of the tenth and thirteenth annual National Catholic Evidence Conference, including articles, schedules, speakers, and commentary.
This series consists of articles, schedules of events, and materials prepared for publication, primarily by Harry Kirk, regarding the activities of the Catholic Evidence Guild and other open air apostolate missions.