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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Administrative Information

Related Material

Index Terms

Bibliography

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Subject Files, 1963-1967, n.d.

Series 2: Publications, 1960-1962

James J. Norris - Vatican Council II Collection

An inventory of the James J. Norris - Vatican Council II Collection at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives


Contact Information:

Mailing Address: The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064

Telephone: 202-319-5065

Email: archives@mail.lib.cua.edu

URL: http://libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/index.html


Descriptive Summary

Repository: The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives
Creator: James Joseph Norris, 1907-1976
Title: The James J. Norris - Vatican Council II Collection
Dates: 1960-1967
Extent: 2.5 linear feet; 5 boxes
Abstract: The James J. Norris - Vatican Council II Collection contains correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, and related material as well as published and non-published documents associated with his involvement in the Second Vatican Council from his initial attempts to become a lay auditor to his participation in post-conciliar sub-commissions.
Collection Number: ACUA 317
Language: English

Biographical Note

James Joseph Norris was born on August 10, 1907 in Roselle Park, New Jersey (Henry was Norris's middle name at birth but he assumed the name Joseph after receiving Confirmation in 1917 and used this name thereafter). In 1924, at the age of sixteen, he graduated from Battin High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Later in 1924, Norris joined the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate (or Trinitarians) and began his studies at St. Joseph's High School Seminary in Holy Trinity, Alabama. He enrolled at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in 1926 as a seminarian, while maintaining an active role as a financial advisor for the Trinitarians' founder, Thomas A. Judge. Norris's studies were interrupted in 1929 when Judge appointed him the Prefect of St. Joseph's High School. In 1930, Norris became the Secretary for the Trinitarian Consultors, Treasurer of the mission community, principle agent for the order's promotional work, and fulfilled the duties of an executive assistant to Judge. During the initial years of the Great Depression, he acted as the head of finances for the Trinitarians as the order struggled to survive during the hard economic times. Although still working diligently for the financial matters of the order, Norris went back to Catholic University in 1932 and received his Bachelor's Degree in 1933. Finding that he was not suited to enter the priesthood, Norris left the Trinitarians in 1934, although he would continue to work closely with the Catholic Church for the rest of his life.

After two years of working for an electric company, Norris found a new position in 1936 working as the administrative assistant to Father Patrick O'Boyle, the Director of the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin, a child welfare institution maintained at Mount Loretto on Staten Island. The position placed Norris in control of the mission's finances. While working at the mission, Norris began attending graduate school in 1938 at Fordham University's School of Social Service.

In 1941, because of his growing reputation for organizational and financial skills, Norris received a position as assistant executive director for the National Catholic Community Service (NCCS), where his primary function was to coordinate Catholic efforts among the various wings of the Catholic Church in America and to represent the Church when cooperating with the US Government. The same year saw James Norris marry Amanda Clara Tisch. The couple would have four sons (James, Gregory, Peter, and Stephen). Only two years later, he became acting director of NCCS and resolved to make assistance for returning veterans from the war a primary concern of the agency.

Due to the need of manpower during World War II, James Norris was drafted in 1944 and entered the armed forces as a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, in the Naval Reserve. After an honorable discharge, he returned to work within the Catholic Church, this time for the War Relief Services (WRS) in 1945. As special assistant to the executive director, he worked with the federal government to help World War II refugees relocate to other areas of the world. Because of World War II, the majority of his energy went to refugees from Europe and Africa. Later, after the civil wars in both China and India, Norris would shift his focus to Asia. In 1947, Norris became director of the European branch of WRS and he and his family moved to Geneva where they would live for the next twelve years. As a response to the amount of refugees fleeing from the Soviet Block in Eastern Europe, he helped create the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) in 1951, of which he was named chairman, in order to provide services to migrants and refugees in the name of the Catholic Church. In 1954, Norris was elected president of the umbrella organization, the Standing Conference of Voluntary Agencies Working for Refugees (CVAWR). Norris was able to balance all three positions with WRS, ICMC, and CVAWR. In 1959, Norris and his family returned to New York from Europe, where he would continue working for Catholic Relief Services (CRS - formerly War Relief Services, which changed its name in 1955). The new vision of CRS was to assist small nations socially and economically.

In 1963, James Norris was invited to be one of the lay auditors at the Second Vatican Council in Rome. While the Second Session was underway, he seized the opportunity to actively lobby for the council to spend a segment of their time in session on the issue of poverty. Specifically, Norris wanted poverty to be a concern of the whole church, not just for the Apostolate of the Laity, he promoted the creation of an office to deal specifically with this problem, and he urged for a "world poverty day." Working with Barbara Ward and other proponents for Catholic action against world poverty, Norris was granted permission by his long-time friend, Pope Paul VI, to address the Council while in session. On November 5, 1964, he became the first member of the laity to participate in a council debate when he introduced Chapter Four, Paragraph 24 "De Paupertate Mundiali" in the schema on the Church in the Modern World. After the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, and the passing of the schema by the Vatican fathers in 1965, a pastoral constitution on the Church in the Modern World was created, entitled Gaudium et Spes. In a continued effort to create a permanent office focusing on world poverty, Norris became a member of the Post-Conciliar Commission on the Apostolate of the Laity in 1966, and in 1967, he and other advocates succeeded when the pope announced the creation of the Pontifical Commission for Studies on Justice and Peace. Norris was named a full member of the Justice and Peace Commission at its inception. Later, in 1971, he assisted in the creation and became a member of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, concentrating on coordinating various papal commissions.

James Norris continued to work for CRS and other Catholic organizations until his death. While traveling by train to receive an award from the United Nations for his work with refugees, James Norris suffered a fatal aneurysm, and died on November 17, 1976.

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Scope and Contents

The James J. Norris - Vatican Council II Collection consists of his professional correspondence and the materials he used while serving as a lay auditor at the Second Vatican Council. The majority of the collection comprises his involvement in the Schema on the Church in the Modern World and the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity both as a lay auditor and as a member of a sub-commission from 1963-1967. However, there are also materials relating to other schemae of the council dating from 1960-1962 and a small amount of material directly related to the council but not produced by the Catholic Church, such as published correspondence and newspaper clippings dating from 1963-1966. The collection is divided into two series and a significant amount of the collection is written in either French, Latin, and more rarely, Italian, or Spanish.

The first series consists of the subject files of James J. Norris during his time working as a lay auditor and sub-commission member of the Second Vatican Council. Correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, published documents, and speeches are among some of the material in this series. The series contains the letter of invitation to James Norris to participate in the council as a lay auditor in 1963. There is also correspondence with Msgr. Achille Glorieux regarding updates and drafts of Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World, and with prominent lay figures involved in the council, such as Martin H. Work and Mieczyslaw de Habicht, regarding recommendations to the council.

The notes, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and speeches, are concerned with the council and its outcomes. In some cases, Norris wrote notes directly on the drafts of schemae, and in others he wrote his notes separately. In many instances, these notes identify possible suggestions for altering Church documents. There is also a considerable amount of counciliar and post-conciliar documents primarily concerned with Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World and The Apostolate of the Laity, including drafts of schemae and their individual chapters, commentaries, observations, voting results, and appendices.

The second series comprises documents published between 1960 and 1962 by the Vatican Council as preparatory materials for those involved in the council. These materials are written in Latin and concern topics slated for debate during the council sessions. They often represent smaller segments of larger issues, such as topics on Matrimony.

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Arrangement

The James J. Norris - Vatican Council II Collection consists of 2 series:

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

This collection consists of two donations made by James J. Norris to the CUA Archives. He made the first deposit some time between 1965 and December 2, 1972, as acknowledged by the then Secretary of the Committee on Archives and Manuscripts, Rev. Robert Trisco, in his correspondence with Msgr. Andrew Landi, Assistant Executive Director of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). This donation consisted of the printed and manuscript material along with his correspondence dated prior to and during Vatican Council II. Norris offered the second deposit in a letter of March 22, 1974. Rev. Robert Trisco, by this time the Chairman of the Committee on Archives and Manuscripts, accepted the offer in his letter of April 8, 1974. This deposit consisted of the post-conciliar "work of the commission preparing the schema on the Church in the Modern World for the period September 14-December 8, 1965" as stated in Norris's letter.

Processing Information

Processing and EAD markup completed in 2009 by Paul W. Bush, with contributions by Joshua Sakolsky in 1996-1997.

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Related Material

For more biographical information on Norris, see Raymond J. Kupke. James J. Norris: an American Catholic Life. Thesis (Ph.D.)-- The Catholic University of America, 1995. Department of Church History.

At the American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives:

George Gilmary Higgins Papers.

Vatican Council II Collections.

At other institutions:

James J. Norris Papers (1940s-1976), University Archives, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.

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Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Persons:

James J. Norris

Organizations:

Catholic Relief Services

Places:

New York (City)
Rome (Italy)
Washington (D.C.)

Subjects:

Apostolate, Lay
Vatican Council (2nd : 1962-1965)
Vatican Council (2nd : 1962-1965). Pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world
Vatican Council (2nd : 1962-1965). Church in the modern world
Vatican Council (2nd : 1962-1965). Constitution on the Church in the modern world

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Bibliography

Krupke, Raymond J. James J. Norris: an American Catholic Life. Dissertation, The Catholic University of America, 1995.

Rynne, Xavier. Vatican Council II. New York: Orbis Books, 1999.

Egan, Eileen. Catholic Relief Services: The Beginning Years; for the Life of the World. New York: Catholic Relief Services, 1988.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Subject Files, 1963-1967, n.d. (4 boxes)
This series contains the subject files of James J. Norris during his involvement in the Second Vatican Council. These include correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, speeches, and other materials related to the ecumenical council, including drafts of schemae and their individual chapters, commentaries, observations, voting results, appendices, and sub-commission minutes and recommendations. The material focuses on Schema XIII, The Apostolate of the Laity, its post-conciliar implementation, and Norris's participation as a lay auditor and as a sub-commission member. Norris was primarily involved in discussion on the Apostolate of the Laity and on World Poverty.
Subject files include his correspondence with members of the council and other lay auditors concerning Schema XIII and original copies of the documents produced during the council on Schema XIII. The language of the drafts are primarily in Latin but there are some translated into English or French.
Box Folder
1 1 Schema XVII; Comments, Commissions, published copy of "Results from the First Session," by Archbishop Emile Guerry, 1963, Notes, and Correspondence, 1963-1964
some documents written in Latin and French
2 Schema De Cura Animarum; Comments and Appendices, n.d.
some documents written in French and Spanish
3 Schema De Apostolatu Laicorum, The Apostolate of the Laity; Subcommission rosters, Comments, Notes, Correspondence, and Emendations, 1963-1965
some documents written in Latin and French
4 Schema De Apostolatu Laicorum, The Apostolate of the Laity; Correspondence with copy of the revised version of the Schema, 1965
some documents written in Latin and French
5 Schema De Apostolatu Laicorum, The Apostolate of the Laity; Notes, Correspondence, Emendations, Published Pamphlets, and Post-Conciliar remarks by the Commission of Faith and Constitution, 1964-1965
some documents written in Latin, Italian, and French
6 Schema De Apostolatu Laicorum, The Apostolate of the Laity; Notes, Correspondence, Appendices, Comments, Subcommittee rosters, and English translation of revised version, 1964-1965
some documents written in Latin and French
7 Schema De Apostolatu Laicorum, The Apostolate of the Laity; Published Correspondence, English translation of final decree, and Collegiality and Scripture by Barnabas M. Ahern, C.P., 1964-1965, n.d.
some documents written in French
8 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World: Notes, Correspondence, Chapters on Matrimony and the Calling of Man, Proposals on the Social Issues in Latin America and the Secretariat for Promoting World Justice and Development, Observations on the Schema de Sacrorum Alumnis Formandis, copies of the Schema on the Question of Reformation of the Roman Curia , Complaints on the procedures of the Council, and an address to the public by the lay auditors, 1963-1967, n.d.
some documents written in Latin and French
9 Correspondence; letter of invitation to James J. Norris as Lay Auditor and letters concerning copies and meetings of the Mixed Commission on Schema XVII and The Lay Apostolate, 1963-1965
some documents written in Italian and French
10 Post-Conciliar Commission for the Lay Apostolate Secretariate and the Report of the General Assembly of International Lay Organizations; Correspondence, 1965
some documents written in French
Box Folder
2 1 Post-Conciliar Commission for the Lay Apostolate Secretariate; Correspondence, Observations, Additions, Notes, and Clippings, 1966
some documents written in Latin and French
2 Post-Conciliar Commission for the Lay Apostolate Secretariate; Correspondence, Observations, Additions, Notes, and Clippings, 1966
some documents written in Latin, French, and Italian
3 Correspondence between Jorge Marcos, Bishop of Saint Andrew and P. Soares concerning the division of wealth in Brazil, 1964
some documents written in Latin, French, and Italian
4 Texts of the Church in the Modern World; Schema on the Dignity of Marriage and the Maintainance of the Family and Chapters on the Individual in Society and on the Advancement of Human Culture, 1963-1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin
5 Chapter on International Community and Peace; Texts, Notes, Translations, and Comments, 1964-1965
some documents written in Latin and French
6 Texts and Recommendations of Chapters on People in the Community, on the Dignity of Man, on Man in the Whole World, and on the Human Condition in the Modern World, 1965, n.d.
documents written in Latin
7 The Schema on the Apostolate of the Laity and the Chapter on Solving the Demographic Question; Notes, Recommendations, and Observations, 1963-1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin and French
8 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Chapters on Economic Order and Social Justice and on the Avoidance of War, Notes, Texts, Translations, Amendments, and Comments, 1964-1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin and French
9 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Chapters on Peace as a Necessity of Charity and Justice, on Culture and Progress, and on Matrimony and the Family, an Address to the Vatican Council Fathers by Nicholas Elko, a Proscription of the War, Notes, Texts, Amendments, and Published Correspondence, 1964-1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin and French
10 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Notes, Sub-Committee Minutes and Rosters, Voting Results, English summary of Bishop John J. Wright's Relatio, Relatio of Francis Hengsbach, Observations, and Recommended Emendations, 1964-1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin, French, and Spanish
11 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Correspondence, Summaries, Sub-Committee Rosters, Observations, and Recommended Emendations, 1963?-1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin
12 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; various chapters of the schema, Observations, and Summary, 1965, n.d.
some documents written in Latin
Box Folder
3 1 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Draft of the Constitution, ca. 1965
document written in Latin
2 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Constitution Observations and Voting Results on specific chapters, 1965, n.d.
documents written in Latin and French
3 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Voting Results for Chapter IV, Part II "The Life of the Political Community", 1965
documents written in Latin
4 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Constitution Voting Results, ca. 1965
documents written in Latin
5 Decree on Ecumenism; Draft of the Decree, Commentary of Decree by Martin H. Work, Guide-lines in the Archdiocese of Boston, Rev. Warren A. Quanbeck's speech on Ecumenism delivered to the Aemrican Roman Catholic Hierarchy, English copy of Bishop Stephen A. Leven's Intervention, Msgr. John M. Oesterreicker's acceptance speech to The Brotherhood of Christians and Jews, Correspondence, and Clippings, 1963-1965, n.d.
some correspondence written in French
6 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Copy of the Mixed Commission Agenda and Minutes, September 14-December 8, 1965
document written in Latin
7 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Mixed Commission Agenda and Minutes with Notes, September 14-December 8, 1965
document written in Latin
8 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World and Suggestions for the inclusion of a section on Poverty and Migration; Intervention of Archbishop Tchidimbo on the special needs of Africa, Addresses of Arthur McCormack, Notes, Correspondence, Observations, Commentaries, and Clippings, 1964-1965
some documents written in French
9 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Correspondence and Observations on Peace and Poverty, 1965
some documents written in French
10 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Correspondence and Commentaries on Terminology in the Schema and Draft of the Schema, 1964-1965
11 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Notes, Correspondence, Draft of the Schema, and published copy of the Constitution, 1964-1965
12 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Address of Archbishop John Carmel Heenan, Interventions of Bishop Philip M. Hannan, Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle, Bishop Remi J. De Roo, Archbishop Gabriel Garrone (Latin), and Bishop Marcus McGrath (Latin), Correspondence, and Latin and French Drafts of the Schema, 1964-1965
some documents written in Latin and French
13 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Observation of Council Fathers and Lay Auditors, 1964
documents written in Latin
Box Folder
4 1 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Commentaries of L.J. LeBret and Rev. Edward E. Swanstrom and Sub-Commission Agenda and Minutes, 1964
some documents written in French
2 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Letter from Bishop Achille Glorieux to James Norris requesting Comments on the attached Draft of the Schema, 1964
some documents written in French
3 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; proposed emendations to the schema, draft of Chapter IV of the schema, published copy of the Constitution in French, proposed questions on the Diaconate of Tomorrow, Intervention of Bishop Francis Hengsbach, published document on directions for future drafts of the schema, minutes of the Bishops from 23 Episcopal Conferences, Rev. Piet Fransen's paper dilivered at a conference of American Bishops and Experts held at American College, and Clippings, 1964-1965
some documents written in French
4 Schema XIII, The Church in the Modern World; Sub-Commission Agendas, Minutes, and Observations on Socialism, Observations of the Center of Coordinating Communications for the Council, and Anthropological Discussions, 1964
some documents written in Latin and French
5 Apostolate of the Laity; English Draft and Outline by J. Menager, 1964
some documents written in Latin
6 Schema De Forma Matrimonii; Draft with Notes, n.d.
documents written in Latin
7 Schema De Ordine; Draft with Notes, n.d.
document written in Latin
8 Vote of Subcommission VII on De Matrimoniis Mixtis, 1961
document written in Latin
9 Schema De Matrimonio; Draft, n.d.
document written in Latin
Series 2: Publications, 1960-1962 (2 boxes)
Documents published in preparation for the council identifying the range of issues to be discussed at upcoming council sessions and preliminary notions of Catholic thought.
Box Folder
4 10 "Quaestio I: De Confirmatione, casus determinentur, in quibus facultas administrandi hoc sacramentum concedatur sacerdotibus, qui sacro ministerio incumbant," Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1960
document written in Latin
11 "Quaestio I: De Confirmatione, casus determinentur, in quibus facultas administrandi hoc sacramentum concedatur sacerdotibus, qui sacro ministerio incumbant," Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1960
document is hard-cover and written in Latin
12 "Quaestio V: De Sacerdotibus Qui Defecerunt," by Adolfo Ledwolorz, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1962
document written in Latin
13 "Quaestio III: De Ordine, de Irregularite," vol. 2 by Witomir Jelicic, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
14 "Quaestio III: De Ordine, disceptetur an et quomodo expediat veterem praxim instaurare quoad ordines minores et diaconatum, pars altera," vol. 1, by Joannes Visser, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
Box Folder
5 1 "Quaestio III: De Ordine, disceptetur an et quomodo expediat veterem praxim instaurare quoad ordines minores et diaconatum," vol. 1, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
2 "Quaestio II: De Poenitentia, de iurisdictione ad sacramentales confessiones audiendas et de peccatis reservatis," vol. 1, by Nicolaus Morsdorf, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
3 "Quaestio I: De Confirmatione, de patrinis et aetate confirmandorum," by Henry Evers, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
4 "Quaestio IV: De Matrimonio, de matrimoniis mixtis," vol. 6, by Nicolaus Morsdorf, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
5 "Quaestio IV: De Matrimonio, de forma celebrationis matrimonii," vol. 5, by Emmanuel Bonet, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
6 "Quaestio IV: De Matrimonio, de consensu matrimoniali," vol. 3, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
7 "Quaestio IV: De Matrimonio, an et quomodo impedimentorum numerus minuendus sit," vol. 1, by Antonii Peinador, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
8 "Quaestio IV: De Matrimonio, an et quomodo processus matrimonialis ad expeditiorem formam sit reducendus," vol. 2, by Joannes Maria Pinna, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
9 "Quaestio III: De Ordine, de aetate, qua ordines maiores conferendi sint, et de interstitiis producendis," vol. 3, by Emmanuel Bonet, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
10 "Quaestio IV: De Matrimonio, de viri impotentia," vol. 4, by Joannes Maria Pinna, Romae, 1961
document written in Latin
URL: http://libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/norris.html Send questions and comments MODIFIED: October-06-2009