Research Guides: RLST 261: Catholic Faith and Life: Online Tools for Searching

Get help!

Searching for contemporary material

You will need to use these to find information published recently about your document, because our print search tools don't cover recent years.

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Scholarly journal articles and popular magazines covering all topics. A great database for beginning searches. Includes full-text access to the journal Science, 1990 - present.
Catholic Periodical and Literature Index (via ATLA) This link opens in a new window
Incorporated now into ATLA. Dates: 1981-present. This is good for finding articles from the Catholic popular press. Look especially for articles from America, Commonweal, and U.S. Catholic

Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate
A most useful site for gathering statistics and social science research. Check under Services (sidebar on frequently requested statistics); Publications, and Academic Research and you most likely will find what you need. There is also a Blog which has an interesting thread on young Catholics and marriage.
U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
The official site of the U.S. Bishops. This site contains national documents (for the church in the U.S.) as well as others information on education, services, etc. The various offices (family life, marriage, etc.) have a wealth of useful information.

Caution: DO NOT USE the free online version of The Catholic Encyclopedia (at newadvent.org, catholic.org, catholic.com, or catholicity.com). It is outdated -- published in 1907-1912! Instead, use the online New Catholic Encyclopedia or the print version in the library reference section. Ask a librarian if you need help finding it!

The range of Catholic opinion

The links below represent a range of widely-read conversations on issues affecting the Catholic Church, from highly conservative to centrist to highly progressive.

Commonweal
A centrist Catholic magazine that reviews politics, religion, and culture. It was organized 80 years ago by laymen and women and continues as a lay journal of import in the United States. Excellent authors and long standing history.
America
America Magazine, published by the Jesuits
National Catholic Reporter
Feature articles, commentary, profiles and interviews, religious thinking, and news of note on all aspects of the Catholic Church worldwide.
National Catholic Register
The mission of the publication is "to provide a perspective on the news of the day as seen through the eyes of the Magisterium."
Catholic Women Speak
This organization seeks to bring Catholic women’s voices into dialogue with others in the Catholic Church, with those in other churches and religious traditions, and with wider society,
Crisis Magazine
The editor says that "Crisis has conceived its mission around the Holy Father’s insights. Each day, Crisis will remind countless Catholics of their heritage, give them the confidence to defend the common good, a just society, the teachings the Church, the family, the dignity of work and the sanctity of life."
Catholic News Service
" Our mission is to report fully, fairly and freely on the involvement of the church in the world today."
Call to Action
According to their mission statement, "Call To Action educates, inspires and activates Catholics to act for justice and build inclusive communities through a lens of anti-racism and anti-oppression principle."
Catholic Answers
According to its mission statement, "Catholic Answers is one of the nation’s largest lay-run apostolates of Catholic apologetics and evangelization."
American Catholic
A service of Franciscan Media, and a platform for a variety of widely-read Catholic publications.
Catholics and Cultures
Explores the religious lives and practices of lay Catholics in particular countries and cultures around the world. Browse by countries or themes, such as Worship, Visual Culture, or Family.