by Leah Kanik
ACHA Summer Intern
Similar to #HiddenCatholicCollections which shares Catholic archived objects to illuminate global Catholicism, our new #ACHACollections will feature bits of history about the Association from our trove of archives. It will serve as a way for scholars to learn about past presidents, the ACHA’s impacts on Catholic history, and how the ACHA continues to further its mission based on past work. Come dive into the rich history of the ACHA!
For our inaugural #ACHACollections post, we will feature the man who guided the ACHA in its mission and dedication to Catholic history as it was being founded: Dr. Lawrence Francis Flick, first president of the ACHA. Dr. Flick had far-reaching impacts in both the study of history as part of the ACHA and other historical societies and in the medical field through his extensive research in tuberculosis. His passion for both fields of study caused him to dedicate his life’s work to circulate information about the topics to the public. As evidence of such efforts, Dr. Flick was awarded Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal in 1920, a prestigious award given to Catholics “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity.”[1] His genius in his research topics was certainly impactful and has left a significant legacy.
Dr. Flick was born in a small corner of western Pennsylvania near Carrolltown in 1856.[2] This area, along with the nearby Loretto, had strong Catholic ties under the guidance of Father Lemke, OSB, and Father Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin whom Flick has praised as “the Apostles of the Faith in the Allegheny Mountains” in his biography of Father Lemke.[3] Flick also wrote a paper on Father Gallitzin which was read at the ACHA’s seventh annual meeting in Philadelphia in 1926.[4] Despite having his roots in a town as small as Carrolltown, Flick was proud of the Catholic heritage it was founded upon, and indeed, it was here that Flick began his campaign against tuberculosis for which he would be remembered.
He contracted the disease just months before graduating from St. Vincent’s College.[5] It was on account of his own suffering with tuberculosis that Flick decided to become a doctor and research the disease. Thus, he graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1879 and spent a year interning at Blockley charity hospital before traveling western America on a quest to cure himself.[6] He then dedicated his time to helping others recover by founding research and treatment centers as well as spreading awareness for tuberculosis by promulgating information through his many writings. Flick also sought to help the African American community fight tuberculosis by adding a ward dedicated to this to Douglass Hospital, a hospital in Philadelphia that was founded by and for African Americans.[7] One of the most significant aspects of his research was the claim that tuberculosis was contagious rather than hereditary, a claim that was contrary to accepted medical belief. Nonetheless, he remained devoted to studying and treating tuberculosis of which his own struggle with was certainly a catalyst to help others.
No less distinguished is Flick’s work in Catholic history as evidenced by his participation in the ACHA as well as in the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. He also served as president for the Society from 1893–1896 and 1913–1914. Flick wrote articles for The Ecclesiastical Review and the Catholic Historical Review and even wished for a daily Catholic newspaper so as to reach a wider audience, but it was not accomplished.[8] Such a desire was consistent with Flick’s enthusiasm for spreading the Catholic Faith and its history, and although he was not able to use a daily newspaper as his medium, he had the opportunity to fulfill his vision through his work with the ACHA. As stated in a paper about the Association, Flick believed “its field is not only American Catholic History but history for American Catholics.”[9] He wanted the study of history to unite and bear truth, and this is a legacy that the ACHA carries on to this day.
[1] “The Laetare Medal: About”, https://laetare.nd.edu/about/.
[2] William John Shepherd, “Lawrence Flick (1856–1938): Medical Crusader and Catholic Historian,” American Catholic Studies 131, no. 3 (2020): 117–118. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27099919.
[3] Lawrence F. Flick, “BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF REV. PETER HENRY LEMKE, O. S. B. 1796–1882,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 9, no. 2 (1898): 192. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44208845.
[4] Lawrence F. Flick, “Gallitzin,” The Catholic Historical Review 13, no. 3 (1927): 394. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25012451.
[5] Shepherd, “Lawrence Flick,” 118.
[6] Ibid., 118.
[7] Ibid., 122.
[8] Ibid., 123.
[9] Lawrence F. Flick, quoted in “The First Annual Meeting of the American Catholic Historical Association Washington, D.C. December 27–30, 1920,” The Catholic Historical Review 7, no. 1 (1921): 7. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25011731.