New Catholic Encyclopedia

The New Catholic Encyclopedia (NCE) is a multi-volume reference work on Roman Catholic history and belief edited by the faculty of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The NCE was originally published in 1967 by McGraw-Hill in New York City. A second edition, which discarded articles more reminiscent of a general encyclopedia, was published in 2002.

Like the original Catholic Encyclopedia, published from 1907 to 1914, the NCE was meant to be a standard library reference work for clergy, laity, students, teachers, librarians, journalists, and general readers interested in the history, doctrine, practices, and people of the Roman Catholic faith. The 1967 edition added more general and expanded articles on science, education, and the liberal arts plus ecumenism, reflecting the Second Vatican Council of 1962–65. The 2002 edition was listed as one of the academic periodical Library Journal's recommended "Best Reference Sources" for 2003.

First edition

The original Catholic Encyclopedia was published between 1907 and 1914, first by the Robert Appleton Company, and then by its successor The Encyclopedic Press Inc. Supplements to the Catholic Encyclopedia were published in 1922 and in 1958.

In 1960 the Catholic University of America, in collaboration with McGraw-Hill, began work on an entirely new encyclopedia. In 1967, the New Catholic Encyclopedia (NCE1) was published in 15 volumes. Alphabetic supplemental volumes appeared in 1974, 1979, 1989, and 1996.