The University of St. Thomas

Catholic Biography

Research Resources

This guide is a finding aid for biographical information about church figures, with an emphasis on the "fathers and Doctors of the Church," major saints of the Western traditions, and other traditionally notable people. For further help, contact Jan Malcheski, Theology Reference Librarian at Ireland Library.


REFERENCE SOURCES

The books and sets below are kept in the Reference Room of Ireland and/or OSF Libraries. They do not circulate but photocopying is available.

Just look up names of the figures of interest in sources listed below. If not under the first place you look in a Reference source, you may want to check for alternate spellings or designations for the person.

Entries for the same person may vary from source to source -- especially for Early and Medieval Church figures.  Our last name-first name practice is a modern convention.  Most historical personages (and practically every saint) are found under their first names -- sometimes in a Latinate form -- with a place name or other association often appended (Of Avila, Great (Magnus), Martyr, Of the Cross, etc.).   In the case the popes and other hierarchs, a number designation is added to distinguish them from fellows. Thus, we may look up:
  • St John Chrysostom under John, not Chrysostom
  • Clement of Rome under Clement I, Pope 
  • St Lawrence of Brindisi as Laurence of Brindisi, or Lorenzo da Brindisi 
  • St Albert the Great in the library catalog as Albertus Magnus

Other suggestions:

  • Save research time by noting sources listed at end of a biographical entry -- let a scholar do your work for you.
  • Most Church figures are saints -- but not all -- use caution in beginning your research.
  • There are many people named Gregory, Eusebius, John, etc.  If in doubt in your initial searches, about which person is 'yours,' contact Jan Malcheski, Theology Reference Librarian at Ireland Library.

Here are some of the standard and traditional resources for name "look ups"  The amount of information varies greatly in Reference resources, from a paragraph or two to many pages.

Butler's Lives of the Saints. 12 vols.
IRL and OSF Ref BX 4654.B8 1995
Always the first stop, arranged by saint?s day with index in the Dec. volume.

Penguin Dictionary of Saints
IRL and OSF Ref BX 4655.8.A8 1995
Brief but up to date accounts, with good sources listed for many entries.

New Catholic Encyclopedia. 15 vols.
IRL and OSF Ref BX 841.N44
Two editions: 1967 & 2003.  Bother are valuable for biography. 
Well-balanced articles on most important figures in Church history.  2nd ed. also online.

Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
IRL and OSF Ref BR 95.O8
An updated classic -- a prime source for brief biographies on unfamiliar names.
Good bibliographies!

Dictionary of Catholic Biography
IRL Ref BX 4651.2 D374

Dictionary of American Catholic History.
IRL Ref BX 1406.2 E53 1997

HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism.
IRL and OSF Ref BX 841.H37 1995
Up to date encyclopedia on Catholic subjects from a contemporary, liberal
perspective.

Catholic Encyclopedia. 1912. 17 vols.
IRL Ref BX 841.C25
Old but still useful resource for hard to find subjects. Conservative, pre-Vatican
II perspective. Try to balance with more up-to-date sources.

Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. 2 vols.
Ref BR 162.2.E53
Good resource for early church biographies but also covers creeds, councils,
culture, etc.

Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 13 vols.
Ref D 114.D5 1982
Authoritative source for medieval figures. Generous articles, good
bibliographies.

Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation. 4 vols.
Ref BR 302.8.O93
Now the standard. Includes some counter-reformation Catholics.

Encyclopedia of African American Religion.
Ref BR 563.N4 E53
Includes short biographies of prominent Catholics of color.

 

CLICNET LIBRARY CATALOG SEARCH

  • Use SUBJECT KEYWORD if possible.
    Enter a word preceded by the letter s followed by a colon [s:]
  • Watch out for name variants.
  • Try basic KEYWORD
    Enter a word or two without any preceding limit for general keyword (returns records with search term(s)anywhere in library records). 
  • Try TITLE KEYWORD
    Enter a word, or two, preceded by the letter t followed by a colon [t:]

Some CLICnet search examples:

  • Ambrose of Milan
    ambrose and s: milan
  • Albert the Great
    t:albert and t:great
    observe the official heading is Albertus Magnus
    s: albertus magnus
  • Clement of Rome
    s: clement and s: pope
    observe Clement I Pope is the official heading

Suggestions

Keep in mind that names can and do vary a lot from books to online sources.  See above under Reference Sources.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the writings of major figures (if the person is well known as a writer, that is). Any biography should list the most important or interesting works. For major Catholic authors, always check CLICnet for the series Classics of Western Spirituality. Not every figure will have a volume in this large series but many do. Example for Catherine of Siena:  siena classics spirituality

Other suggestions:

  • Too many items in the catalog under your person's name? Try reference books (see above).
  • Too few items in the catalog? Try a periodical index (see below) as well as Reference books.
  • Feel free to ask for assistance, contact Jan Malcheski, Theology Reference Librarian at Ireland Library

DATABASES AND INDEXES

ATLA Religion Database

ATLA is the main scholarly index for articles and essay for religion and theology topics ATLA indexes journal articles from academic theology publications in several languages and what are called "essays in collection." These short works are published as contributions to a book, and very helpful in many instances. ATLA is not always easy to use....there is online help provided at the database -- look for the Help link. Be sure to ask for assistance if you are not finding what you need!

Catholic Periodical & Literature Index

Indexes interest Catholic journals, newspaper pieces as well as magazines (many of the articles are not suitable for -- check with your instructor if you have any doubts at all about the appropriateness of an article. The online index goes back to 1981.  For some biographical research, you will need to use earlier volumes available only in print form (1930 on) -- ask. Be sure to ask for assistance if you are not finding what you need! 

Other UST electronic resources, collections, databases and indexes:

There are a number of other e-resources you may want to use to pursue biographical research, especially large scale full-text collections, known as e-journals or e-collections. St Thomas subscribes to several that may come in handy:

     

    For help in preparing your list of works cited
    SEE guide about the MLA Citation style "How to Do a Bibliography"