Historical Dictionary of Catholicism

William J. Collinge is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Philosophy at Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Maryland. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale University. He is Senior Editor of the Journal of Moral Theology and for ten years was Director of Research and Publication of the College Theology Society.

That Roman Catholicism has gone through momentous changes in recent years is without dispute. It is no surprise, therefore, that Collinge has revised his Historical Dictionary of Catholicism twice since its original appearance. This new edition follows the format of its predecessors, with alphabetical entries on a broad range of cross-referenced topics from Abbot to Xavier, Francis St. All entries were evaluated and updated, and each is readable and authoritative. Controversial topics such as the sexual abuse crisis and the role of women in the Catholic Church are current as of 2020. As with the previous two editions, this edition includes more than 500 entries and five useful appendixes: "Popes," "Ecumenical Councils," "Documents of Vatican Council II," "Papal Encyclicals," and "Prayers and Creeds." The chronology, bibliography, and index have also been updated. Given the topic, a fourth edition of this valuable reference tool is likely to appear in the not-too-distant future. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

• Editor’s Foreword (Jon Woronoff)PrefaceReader’s NoteAcronyms and AbbreviationsChronologyIntroductionTHE DICTIONARYAppendixesI: PopesII: Ecumenical CouncilsIII: The Documents of Vatican Council IIIV: Papal EncyclicalsV: PrayersBibliographyIndexAbout the Author