The Right Reverend Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton was born on January 16, 1906. He was Dean of the School of Theology at the Catholic University of America (CUA) and also served as the editor of the American Ecclesiastical Review from 1944 to 1963. He received his undergraduate degree from Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and completed his ordination in Rome receiving a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree. Fenton also served on the Pontifical Theology Commission in preparation for the Second Vatican Council. He retired from CUA in 1963 and died from a heart attack on July 7, 1969. He is probably best remembered as an aggressive opponent of Jesuit John Courtney Murray regarding religious freedom and the issue of Church and State.
The are eleven journals that roughly cover Fenton's trips to Europe, mainly Rome and Vatican City. The dates on the journals roughly correspond to 1948, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1958 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1966. Sometimes the journal dates will overlap into a new journal. These journals describe Fenton's trips to Rome to meet with various Cardinals, Popes and other important people within the Catholic Church. They also contain drafts of letters written to important people and outlines for essays. The journals also deal with Fenton's experiences attending the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and his opinions on the council, providing an interesting eyewitness look at one of the most important events for Roman Catholics.
The Joseph Clifford Fenton Diaries have eleven items in one box.
None.
At the American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives:
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Collection was donated and deposited by Joseph Komonchak. The collection was received on June 15, 2009. The collection was accessioned on July 1, 2009.
Processing completed in July, 2012 by William Dawson; with contributions from Mary Zito. EAD markup completed in July, 2012 by William Dawson.
The Series is a collection of diaries that Fenton Kept beginning in 1948 until 1966. They mostly deal with his day to day activities, but some diaries contain interactions with important people and drafts of papers and correspondences.
Grey hardcover notebook. Fenton talks about his travels to Rome; the diary also contains outlines and drafts for several papers that he is writing.
Grey hardcover notebook. Diary of Fenton's trip to Europe. Mentions how he flew on Star of Maryland Plane that crashed in Egypt. Journal contains draft of a letter to Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Black softcover notebook. Talks about a speech he is giving in Rome. Pages are fragile.
Black softcover notebook, Ink is fading, pages are fragile. P.172 Describes Fenton's encounter with a CUA Faculty member.
Black softcover notebook, Fenton asks that contents past page 74 not be revealed until 20 years after his death. Talks about his work for Vatican II.
Green softcover notebook, Account of his work as a member of the Pontifical Theological Commission for Vatican II.
Green softcover notebook, Account of his work as a member of the Pontifical Theological Commission for Vatican II. Contains account of Papal audience.
Black softcover notebook, contains notes of Fenton's trip. Fifteenth trip starts at p.132.
Black softcover notebook. Account of Vatican II proceedings.
Blue hardcover notebook, contains accounts of Vatican II. Also claims he has been misinterpreted by several articles, including one from the New Yorker. Hears accounts of JFK assassination through Italian TV.
Account of theological conference, "The Theology of Council." Observations of Post Vatican II Catholicism. Notebook is very fragile.