The American Catholic Historical Association invites submissions on any topic relevant to the study of Catholicism for its annual meeting in Chicago, January 8-10, 2026.

The ACHA is delighted to be gathering once more in Chicago, “city of the big shoulders,” national crossroads, storied hub of immigration and industrialization, with a rich history of social Catholicism.

We are especially hopeful to receive individual paper and panel submissions focused on the following topics:

• Catholic communities with distinctive histories in Chicago, including Eastern European, Mexican, and Black Catholics
• Regional Catholicisms in proximity to Chicago, such as Midwestern, Great Lakes, and Great Plains
• Social Catholicism, particularly related to labor activism, the CYO, and charitable organizations
• Catholicism and universities, especially in view of local institutions such as Loyola University of Chicago, Depaul University, Notre Dame, and the University of Chicago
• Catholicism as practiced by the Native tribes of the Upper Midwest and the Great Plains
• Antiquity, Medieval, and pre-modern Catholicism

We invite proposals that depart from the traditional paper session format, including roundtables, book discussions, and site visits. Submissions that demonstrate disciplinary and/or methodological diversity—including panels composed of scholars outside the field of history who understand history as relevant to their discipline—are especially welcome.

We strongly seek out panels that include diverse participants and reflect generational diversity, as well as participants in various career paths and of various ranks (including graduate students, contingent faculty, public historians, curators, librarians and archivists, independent scholars, and those employed outside the traditional academy).

To encourage making connections before the proposal deadlines, consider connecting with others interested in the ACHA conference via this Google Sheet. The program committee will monitor the spreadsheet and encourages sharing ideas in this way to build out panel proposals.