The Christopher J. Kauffman Prize
in U.S. Catholic History
The Kauffman Prize at a Glance
The Kauffman Prize honors the author of a monograph that provides new and/or challenging insight to the study of U.S. Catholic history.
Monographs with a 2022-2024 imprint date. Entries must be published in English.
Annually. 2025 is the first year that the prize will be awarded.
$1,500
Late 2025
Complete the online form and mail three hard-copy versions of your work to the committee.
About the Kauffman Prize
The American Catholic Historical Association is proud to announce the establishment of the Christopher J. Kauffman Prize in U.S. Catholic History. The prize will be awarded to the author of a monograph that provides new and/or challenging insight to the study of U.S. Catholic history. The inaugural prize will be awarded at the 2026 Annual Meeting held in Chicago.
Dr. Christopher Kauffman (1936-2018) was a gifted scholar and a tireless advocate for the field of U.S. Catholic history. Over his long and distinguished career, he authored 10 books and over 100 articles, held The Catholic Daughters of the Americas Chair in American Catholic History at The Catholic University of America (1989-2008), and served as editor of the U.S. Catholic Historian (1983-2013)
His first meaningful foray into U.S. Catholic history was through a series of monographs he was commissioned to write, that included histories of the U.S. Province of the Society of St. Sulpice (1989) and the Marianists in the United States (1999) and a biography of the founder of the Glenmary Home Missioners, Rev. W. Howard Bishop (1991) While researching and writing these works, he also served as general editor for two highly-regarded series, the six-volume Makers of the Catholic Community (Macmillan; 1989), authorized by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the nine-volume American Catholic Identities: A Documentary History (Orbis Books; 1999-2003). Both series encompassed a broad range of topics associated with U.S. Catholic life with volumes dedicated to the issues of gender, race, ethnicity, regionalism, spirituality, Catholic thought and practice, and episcopal leadership.
His greatest contribution to the profession, however, began when he took over as editor of the U.S. Catholic Historian in 1983, a position he held for the next 30 years. He used the journal, with its distinctive thematic format, to promote new scholarship, provide a forum for diverse and frequently underrepresented voices, encourage dialogue across disciplines, and challenge both contributors and readers to examine issues from new perspectives.