Archives preserve history of Catholicism

Published: April 22, 2016

Thousands of pages of fragile, irreplaceable newspapers containing the history of the Catholic Church in Arkansas from 1911 to 2001 have now been digitized, indexed and posted online. These back issues of Arkansas Catholic are now searchable and available to everyone for free. Search the Archive. Digital editions of the newspaper from 2002 to the present are available through a subscription to Arkansas Catholic Digital.

Digitizing the bound volumes of the official newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock is the result of the Guardian Angels campaign, which began when the newspaper celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. Hundreds of donors contributed $80,000 to pay for the project that preserved The Southern Guardian, The Guardian and Arkansas Catholic for generations to come.

Moving from the past to the future, Arkansas Catholic will continue the Guardian Angels campaign with a new goal: to help a new generation live their Catholic faith. Therefore, donations are now being collected to help the newspaper improve its video production and online outreach for mobile readers. Visit Arkansas Catholic to learn more or make a donation. For more information, e-mail Malea Hargett, editor, or call her at (501) 664-0125.