
For those of you who have Catholic ancestry in your family tree, there are lots of newspapers that have been published in the past that may help you find some information and stories about your ancestors.
I recently became aware of the Catholic Newspapers Program, which is a result of a project started in 2011 by the Catholic Research Resources Alliance. From their website: “The goal and scope of the program is to provide access to all extant Catholic newspapers published in North America.”
They have created a list of free links to historic and current Catholic newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. As a result of contacting them and reviewing their project and website, they have allowed me to re-sort their list by location and publish it here. I highly recommend that you visit their list, as it includes some useful notes about each newspaper, as well as publishing institutions and other info that will help you. It can be found at Catholic Newspapers Online. My thanks to Pat Lawton, the Catholic Research Resources Alliance Digital Projects Librarian for her help in this effort.
The list below is a combination of those found in the Catholic Newspapers Program as well as many that I have discovered myself, from many other collections.
Although the majority of the collections on this list are from more recent publication dates, there are quite a few that are from the more distant past. Take a look at these sites and search them for info about your ancestors. I have also added other online Catholic historic newspaper sites.
(Updated February 2023; recently added links are in BOLD)
Canada
British Columbia
- Vancouver The B.C. Catholic
Nova Scotia
- Halifax The Cross – 1843-1849
Ontario
- Kingston The Catholic – 1830-1844
- London The Catholic Record – 1881-1910
- Toronto The Catholic Register – 1893-1922
- Toronto The Catholic Register
- Toronto The Irish Canadian – 1863-1892
- Ottawa United Canada – 1888-1901
Quebec
- Trois-Rivieres Le Bien Public – 1909-1978
- Montreal La Boussole – 1935-1946
- Quebec Le Courrier du Canada – 1857-1901
- Montreal La Crois – 1903-1937
- Montreal La Croix de Montreal – 1893-1894
- Laprairie Le Front Ouvrier – 1944-1954
- Sorel La Gazette de Sorel – 1857-1883
- Quebec Le Journal des Campagnes – 1882-1901
- Trois-Rivieres Le Journal des Trois-Rivieres – 1865-1891
- Quebec La Justice – 1886-1892
- Montreal The Montreal Beacon – 1940-1941
- Montreal The Montreal Tribune – 1910-1913
- Montreal New Era – 1857-1858
- Montreal The True Witness and Catholic Chronicle – 1850-1900
Saskatchewan
- Muenster Prairie Messenger
United States
All States
Alabama
- Mobile The Catholic Week – 2007-present
Alaska
- Fairbanks Alaskan Shepherd Newsletter – 2001-present
- Anchorage Catholic Anchor
- Juneau Southeast Alaska Catholic – 2007-2010, 2012-present
Arkansas
- Little Rock Arkansas Catholic – 1911-present
Arizona
- Phoenix The Catholic Sun – 2011-present
- Tucson New Vision – 2011-present
California
- Sacramento The Catholic Herald – 2000-present
- San Francisco Catholic San Francisco – 2012-present
- San Francisco San Francisco Catolico
- Oakland The Catholic Voice – 2003-present
- Stockton Diocesan News – 2015-present
- Fresno Central California Catholic Life
- San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento El Heraldo Catolico – 2014-present
- San Bernardino Inland Catholic Byte
- San Francisco The Monitor – 1878-1884
- San Francisco The Monitor – 1958-1965
- Santa Rosa North Coast Catholic – 2010-present
- Orange Orange County Catholic – 2013-present
- San Francisco San Francisco Catolico
- San Diego The Southern Cross –
- Los Angeles The Tidings – 2005-present
- San Jose The Valley Catholic – 2008 – present
- Santa Clara The Santa Clara – 1995 – present
- Los Angeles – La Esperanza
- Fresno – The_Grapevine
Colorado
- Colorado Springs The Colorado Catholic Herald – 2006-present
- Denver Denver Catholic Register – 1900-present
- Denver El Pueblo Catolico – 2003-present
- Denver Brown and Gold
- Denver Catholic Register
- Catholic Register
- The Intermountain Catholic. 1899-1920
- Denver – Catholic Register
- Pueblo – Southern Colorado Register
- Denver – Colorado Catholic
Connecticut
- Hartford The Catholic Transcript – 2008-present
- Hartford Catholic Transcript 1958-1978
- Bridgeport Fairfield County Catholic – 2010-present
- Norwich Four County Catholic – 2010-present
- Hartford Catholic Press
Delaware
- Wilmington The Dialog – 2013-present
District of Columbia
- Washington Catholic Advocate – 2009-present
- Washington Catholic News Service – 1920-present
- Washington – Catholic News Service 1920-1929
- Washington Catholic News Service Blog – 2007-present
- Washington Catholic News Service Top Stories 2015-present
- Washington Catholic News Service – Vatican II: 50 Years Ago Today: The Council Daybooks
- Washington Catholic Standard – 1980-present
- Washington The Hoya – 1959-1980
- Washington El Pregonero – 1980-present
- Washington The Sisyphus Papers – 1975-1977
- Washington The Tower – 1922-present
Florida
- Pensacola-Tallahassee The Catholic Compass – 2009-present
- Miami The Florida Catholic
- St. Augustine St. Augustine Catholic – 1991-present
- Miami The Voice – 1959-1989
- Miami The Voice 1964-1968
- Florida Catholic ( 362 issues )
Georgia
- Smyrna Georgia Bulletin – 2005-present
- Savannah The Southern Cross – 1920-present
- Savannah The Bulletin of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia – 1920-1936
- Savannah Bulletin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah (Augusta), 1920-1958
- Savannah Savannah Bulletin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah (Monroe), 1958
- Savannah Bulletin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah (Monroe), 1958-1960
Hawaii
- Honolulu Hawaii Catholic Herald – 2013-present
Idaho
- Boise Idaho Catholic Register – 2009-present
Illinois
- Chicago The Aletheia – 1961-1971
- Chicago Blackacre – 1967-68, 1971-1982, 1984
- Chicago Catholic New World – 2000-present
- Peoria The Catholic Post – 2008-present
- Springfield Catholic Times
- Chicago Catolico – 2011-present
- Chicago Chicago Catholic
- Chicago Chicago Catolico – 2004-present
- Joliet Christ Is Our Hope – 2008-present
- Chicago DePaul Poll Parrot – 1923
- Chicago The DePaulia University – 1923-2013
- Chicago Katolik: w Archidiecezji Chicago – 2011-2013
- Chicago Loyola Phoenix – 1970-1971
- Chicago Loyola News – 1918; 1925; 1938-1939; 1940; 1947; 1968-1969
- Belleville The Messenger – 2007-present
- Rockford The Observer – 1935-present
- Chicago The Skyscraper – 1931-1969
- Chicago The Western Tablet – 1852-1855
Indiana
- Lafayette The Catholic Moment – 2012-present
- Notre Dame Catholic Peace Fellowship Bulletin – 1965-1978
- Indianapolis The Criterion Online – 1960-1965; 1998-present
- Evansville The Message – 1971-present
- Merrillville and Gary Northwest Indiana Catholic –
- Notre Dame Notre Dame Daily – 1923-1924
- Notre Dame Notre Dame Scholastic – 1867-2011
- Notre Dame Notre Dame Voice – 1963-1966
- Notre Dame The Observer – 1966-present
- Huntington – Our Sunday Visitor – 1912-1924
- Huntington Our Sunday Visitor – 6/1/1959
- Huntington Our Sunday Visitor – 2010-present
- South Bend and Fort Wayne Today’s Catholic News – 2006-present
- South Bend – The Reformer
- South Bend – Notre Dame Religious Bulletin, 1921 – 1965 and 1984 – 1989
Iowa
- Sioux City Catholic Globe – 2002-present
- Davenport The Catholic Messenger – 1883-present
- Des Moines The Catholic Mirror – 2012-present
- Dubuque The Witness – 1920-present
- Davenport Catholic Messenger
- Davenport The Catholic Messenger And The Western World
- Davenport Iowa Catholic Messenger And Northwestern Catholic
- Woodbury County – Globe
- Woodbury County – Our Sunday Visitor
- Woodbury County – Catholic Globe
Kansas
- Kansas City The Leaven – 2007-present
- Wichita – The Catholic Advance (1901–1922)
- Kansas City – The Kansas City Catholic
- Leavenworth – The Kansas Catholic
- Wichita – The Catholic Advance
Kentucky
- Covington – The Messenger
- Louisville The Record – 2008-present
- Owensboro – The Western Kentucky Catholic
- Louisville KY Catholic Advocate
Louisiana
- Lafayette Acadiana Catholic – 2013-present
- Houma-Thibodaux Bayou Catholic – 2012-present
- Lake Charles Catholic Calendar – 2002-present
- Baton Rouge The Catholic Commentator – 1963-2012
- Baton Rouge The Catholic Commentator – 2007-present
- Shreveport Catholic Connection – 2012-present
- Alexandria Church Today – 2013-present
- New Orleans Clarion Herald – 2011-present
- New Orleans Clarion Herald – 1958-1968
- New Orleans The Maroon – 1923-2012
- New Orleans Morning Star and Catholic Messenger – 1868-1881
- New Orleans Le Propagateur Catholique – 1842-1843
Maryland
- Baltimore The Catholic Review
Massachusetts
- Newton 885 – 1952-1973
- Boston The Boston Pilot – 1836-1857
- Worcester The Catholic Free Press – 2011-present
- Worcester Crusader – 1925-1989
- Boston Crux – 2014-present
- Chestnut Hill Heights – 1919-2010
- Boston Jesuit, or, Catholic sentinel (1829-1831)
- Boston Jesuit, or, Catholic sentinel (1834)
- Boston Literary and Catholic Sentinel – 1835
- Braintree The Pilot – 2003-present
- East Cambridge Sacred Heart Review – 1888-1918
- Boston United States Catholic Intelligencer
Michigan
- Kalamazoo Good News – 2011-present
- Augustinian — Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County (Mich.) — 8 July 1905 – 27 December 1930
- Kalamazoo The Kalamazoo Augustinian
- Detroit The Michigan Catholic – 2010-present
- Marquette The U.P. Catholic – 2009-present.
Minnesota
- St. Paul The Catholic Spirit – 1991-present
- Duluth The Northern Cross – 2014-present
- Crookston Our Northland Diocese – 2014-present
- New Ulm The Prairie Catholic – 2000-present
- St. Cloud The Visitor – 2013-present
- Winona-Rochester – The Courier
- St. Paul, Minn., 1911-1995 – The Catholic bulletin.
- St. Cloud, MN – The visitor (1/15/2016 – 12/15/2017)
- St. Paul, Minn. – Der Wanderer (1867-11-16 – 1889-12-26)
- St. Paul, Minn. – The Catholic bulletin (1/7/1911 – 12/30/1922)
- St. Paul, Minn. – The Catholic spirit (1/7/2016 – 12/21/2017)
- St. Paul, Minn. – The Wanderer (1/15/2015 – 12/21/2017)
- Winona, Minn. – The courier (1/1/2004 – 12/1/2017)
Missouri
- St. Louis Catholic Health Association of the United States – 2013-present
- Jefferson City The Catholic Missourian – Present
- St. Louis The FONT – 1926-1968
- Springfield The Mirror
- Kansas City National Catholic Reporter – 2008-present
- Kansas City National Catholic Reporter – mid-1990s-2007
- St. Louis St. Louis Review – 2001-present
- St. Louis Shepherd of the Valley 1832-1854
- Buchanan – Catholic Tribune (1889-1924)
- Catholic Tribune and Conception Star
Mississippi
- Biloxi Gulf Pine Catholic – 2005-present
- Jackson The Mississippi Catholic – 2014-present
Montana
- Butte Montana Catholic
North Carolina
- Charlotte Catholic News Herald – 2000-present
North Dakota
- Bismarck Dakota Catholic Action – 2012-present
- Fargo New Earth – 2013-present
- Fort Tiotten S’ina Sapa Wocekiye Taeyanpaha (Catholic Sioux Herald)
Nebraska
- Omaha The Catholic Voice – 2004-present
- Lincoln Southern Nebraska Register –
New Jersey
- Clifton The Beacon – 2014-present
- Metuchen The Catholic Spirit – 2014-present
- Camden Catholic Star Herald –
- Newark The Catholic Advocate 1958-1964
- Newark – The Catholic Advocate
- Woodland Park Eastern Catholic Life – 2012-present
- Trenton New Jersey Catholic Journal – 1886-1889
- Trenton Peces – 2014-present
- Passaic Catholic Falcon / Katoli Cky Sobol
New Mexico
- Albuquerque People of God – 2010-present
- Albuquerque Revista Catolica – 1875-1883
New York
- Rochester Catholic Journal/Catholic Courier – 1889-2004
- Rochester Catholic Journal/Catholic Courier – 2004-present
- New York Catholic New York –
- New York The Catholic Review – 1875-1876
- New York The Catholic News
- Syracuse The Catholic Sun – 2001-present
- Albany The Evangelist – 1996-present
- Rochester El Mensajero Catolico – 2005-present
- Ogdensburg North Country Catholic – 1946-2006
- Ogdensburg The North Country Catholic – 2010-present
- Brooklyn Nuestra Voz –
- Brooklyn The Tablet – 1908-present
- New York The Truth Teller – 1825-1826
- Rochester Catholic Courier and Journal – 1929-1932
- Rochester The Catholic Courier Journal – 1945-1968
- Rochester The Catholic Courier – 1933-1945
- Rochester Catholic Courier – 1989-current
- Rochester The Catholic Journal – 1889-1929
- Albany The Evangelist
- Albany Evening Journal
- Albany Evangelist Tg
- New York Redpath Weekly
- Brooklyn The Gael
- New York Metropolitan Record : A Catholic Family Paper
Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio, 1951-current – The Catholic times. [volume]
- Pomeroy, O. [Ohio], 1873-1874 – Ohio. [volume]
- Pomeroy, O. [Ohio], 1874-1953 – Ohio Waisenfreund. [volume]
- Cleveland – Jedność Polek = Unity of Polish Women – 1923-1931
- Columbus – Catholic Times – 1957-1962
- Columbus – Catholic Times – 1951-1962
- Toledo Catholic Chronicle – 2010-present
- Youngstown The Catholic Exponent – 2015-present
- Cincinnati The Catholic Telegraph – 2009-present
- Cincinnati The Catholic Telegraph 1831-1885
- Cincinnati The Edgecliff – 1935-1980
- Cincinnati The Newswire – 2006-present
- Columbus Catholic Times – 2007-present
- Cleveland Catholic Universe Bulletin –
- Parma Horizons –
- Steubenville The Steubenville Register –
- Pomeroy – Ohio – 1873-1874
- Pomeroy, Columbus – Ohio Waisenfreund – 1874-1875, 1940-1953
Oklahoma
- Oklahoma City Sooner Catholic – 2007-present
- The Catholic Home
Oregon
- Portland Catholic Sentinel – 1996-present
- Portland El Centinela – 2003-present
- Portland The Beacon
Pennsylvania
- Allentown The A.D. Times – 2012-present
- Pittsburgh Byzantine Catholic World – 2014-present
- Greensburg The Catholic Accent – 2010-present
- Philadelphia Catholic Herald – 1835-1848
- Hollidaysburg The Catholic Register – 2011-present
- Philadelphia The Catholic Standard & Times – 2008-present
- Philadelphia The Catholic Standard & Times – 1963-1968
- Philadelphia The Catholic Standard and Times 1913-1922
- Philadelphia The Boys’ and Girls’ Weekly Catholic Magazine
- Philadelphia Catholic Weekly Instructor
- Philadelphia Griffin’s Journal
- Erie FaithLife Newspaper – 2005-present
- Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Catholic – 1844-2001
- Pittsburgh Pittsburg Catholic – 2000-present
- Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Catholic 1957-1973
- Scranton The Aquinas 1916-present
Rhode Island
- Providence Rhode Island Catholic –
South Carolina
- Charleston The Catholic Miscellany – 1997-present
Tennessee
- Knoxville East Tennessee Catholic –
- Nashville Tennessee Register –
Texas
- Tyler Catholic East Texas – 2013-present
- Victoria The Catholic Lighthouse – 2014-present
- Austin The Catholic Spirit – 2006-present
- Fort Worth North Texas Catholic – 2006-2007, 2009-present
- El Paso The Rio Grande Catholic –
- Dallas Texas Catholic –
- Houston Texas Catholic Herald – 2010-present
- San Juan The Valley Catholic – 2011-present
- The College Echo (18)
- The Corpus Christi Post (55)
- Hilltop Views (38)
- The Parish Post (33)
- The Rattler (692)
- South Texas Catholic (1012)
- St. Edward’s Echo (43)
- Texas Gulf Coast Catholic (409)
- Texas Gulf Coast Register (218)
- The Tribune (614)
- The University News (693)
Utah
- Salt Lake City The Intermountain Catholic – 1899-1920
- Salt Lake City Intermountain Catholic – 2006-present
- The Intermountain Catholic
Virginia
- Arlington Arlington Catholic Herald – 2006-present
- Richmond The Catholic Virginian –
Vermont
- Burlington Vermont Catholic – July 2009-present
Washington
- Seattle Catholic Northwest Progress – 1897-present
- Seattle Northwest Catholic – 2013-present
- Spokane Inland Catholic – 2001-present
- Spokane Gonzaga Bulletin
- The Catholic Northwest Progress (Seattle, King County, WA — 21 December 1900 – 31 March 1967)
Wisconsin
- Madison Catholic Herald, Madison – 2001-present
- Milwaukee Catholic Herald, Milwaukee – 2002-present
- Superior Catholic Herald, Superior – 2013-present
- La Crosse Catholic Life – 2015-present
- Green Bay The Compass – 2000-present
- De Pere St. Norbert Times – 2013-present
West Virginia
- Wheeling The Catholic Spirit – 2008-present
Wyoming
- Cheyenne Wyoming Catholic Register – 2003-present
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
8 replies on “Historical U.S. and Canada Free Online Catholic Newspapers”
As a result of your work I was able to find an obituary for my 2x great-grandfather James Quarry published in The Irish Canadian shortly after his death at Mt. Carmel, Ontario on Oct 16, 1874. It gives cause of death but also place of origin in Bandon, Ireland. I had suspected the family might have originated in Bandon but this confirms it. Thanks for giving me one of those rare and wonderful moments in my ancestor search.
Just wanted to let you know I think the link for the Bien Republic is off slightly, I found it at http://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/1936323
Sadly, the Boston Pilot still requires visiting an affiliate of CRL 🙁
Not sure if this listing is correct: “Toronto The Catholic Register – 1893-1922.” Did a search within the collection but no newspapers came up for 1914.
Looks like it only goes until 1908. Bad Title it looks like. That happens a lot where the title says one date range but in actuality it is something else. I do not know why the publishers of the database aren’t more careful with the date ranges.
The Archdiocese of Omaha’s newspaper is now available online.
Here’s the URL:
http://catholicvoiceomaha.advantage-preservation.com/
Thanks for the heads up. Those papers will be listed in the next Nebraska and Catholic papers updates.