Finding Aids Available

Finding aids to three series in the Ade Bethune Collection are now on the Collection web site.  Work on the remaining processed series is in progress, and we hope to make them available over the summer.

Ade Bethune's Writings
The collection includes about 100 published articles in both manuscript (some typed) and printed forms. There are about 17 booklets or books in various forms of draft and print as well as roughly 44 unpublished articles or notes. There is also correspondence with various editors and publishers about Bethune's work. Materials span the years from 1933 to 1998 with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1940s to 1960s.

Bethune published articles in about 37 different journals, with most being in Orate Fratres, Liturgical Arts, and Catholic Art Quarterly. She also wrote a series of 5 articles for Church Property Administration on the need for church architecture to support the liturgy.

Catholic Worker Materials
These materials cover the Catholic Worker movement, from its beginnings in New York to its international presence. The collection spans most of the 21st century, though the bulk of the materials fall between 1940-2000. It includes correspondence; Catholic Worker publications, such as pamphlets, newspapers, and newsletters; other writings both by and about the Catholic Worker movement; and some of Ade Bethune’s artwork for the paper. This collection contains both personal materials illustrating Bethune’s relationship with Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker as well as more generic materials relating to the social movement in general.

Items of particular note include correspondence between Ade Bethune and Dorothy Day, correspondence she held with other Catholic Workers, especially Mary Paulson and Hazen Ordway, and materials relating to the first large Catholic Worker conference held on the 50th anniversary of the movement’s founding.

Personal Correspondence
The collection includes personal correspondence with more than 150 individuals: handwritten and typed letters, photographs, postcards, and greeting cards, also any enclosed materials, such as print samples, informal sketches, or other items, that Bethune kept with the correspondences.

Especially of note is the over 30 years worth of correspondence she had with Arthur Graham Carey. Bethune and Cary discussed matters such as art commissions, personal affairs, and John Stevens Shop or Catholic Art Association business, as well as more general thoughts on the theory and philosophy of art.

It appears from the breadth of this collection that Ade Bethune faithfully saved all the letters that she possibly could. Often times, correspondence was with church community figures (such as Sister Peter Claver Fahy or Rev. Frederick R. McManus) or admirers from all over the world. Topics included informal art and design advice, discussions on liturgy, religion, or other personal matters. Letters to news editors, television hosts, and political leaders are somewhat common. She also corresponded with other successful artists such as Leandro Locsin, Alfonso Ossorio, and Fernando Zobel.