The Archives Speaker Series presents, “Buffalo’s Catholic Labor Schools: Uncovering Resources That Shaped a Business Model” on Thursday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m. in the Canisius College ALB Library, 2nd Floor.
Paul Lubienecki, PhD, Catholic labor historian and vice president, Steel Plant Museum, Buffalo will be the featured speaker. Dr. Lubienecki will discuss the development of the Catholic Labor Schools’ program of specialized labor education and how “the laiety became an integral component in the growth and development of American organized labor in the Twentieth Century.” Founded under the auspices of the Diocese of Buffalo and spreading throughout the county, these adult education programs “consciously directed moral and intellectual training in an increasingly competitive industry environment to encourage business leaders to become instruments for justice in the powerful world of labor.” Members of Buffalo’s Jesuit community and faculty from Canisius College were active participants and instructors in this mid-century undertaking. Course of study in these programs included the social or labor encyclicals of Pope Leo Xlll and Pius XI to emphasize dignity and rights of “the worker.”
Dr. Lubienecki, a native of Philadelphia, spent 20 years in the corporate arena as a risk manager before pursuing his scholarly and academic passions. He obtained his BA in history from Temple University, an MA in pastoral ministry from Christ the King Seminary, and an MA in history/museum studies from SUNY/Buffalo State College. Most recently he was awarded his PhD in history from Case Western Reserve University. He is a frequent lecturer on Western New York local history, including Bishop John Timon and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Greycliff, and has published articles and books on these topics including Father Nelson Baker’s work with the African –American community during the 1930s. Currently he’s completing a manuscript on the history of Catholic labor schools in Buffalo and their influence on organized labor.
The Archives Speaker Series features scholars whose work is reliant on archival research, and who have produced an expression of scholarship based on that research. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information contact Kathleen DeLaney, archivist at delaney@canisius.edu or at Ext. 8421.
Submitted by: Kathleen DeLaney, archivist/reference librarian
