Archbishop of Baltimore; second American cardinal; Bishop of Richmond; distinguished author and internationally-recognized religious personage. He was a confident of US Presidents. He is, perhaps, best known for his book Faith of Our Fathers.
 
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed, one page January 1905. Although Gibbons was a prolific correspondent on a wide range of topics, letters of a religious or theological-content seldom come on the market.  Letter to Thomas Joseph Shahan, (1857-1932) one-time auxiliary bishop of Baltimore (1914), theologian and educator. Shahan was the editor of The Catholic Encyclopedia (1914). He was elected the fourth rector of Catholic University of America in 1910. Sadly, African-American students were barred from admission during his tenure. References a proposal forwarded to Gibbons by Dr. Shahan written by American Congregational minister, minister and scholar Frank Knight Sanders (1861-1933). In 1905, Sanders became the president of Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society. This response from Gibbons was likely in regard to an article published that year in the Sunday School Times.  That year, Frank Sanders, DD, Ph.D., was named Chairman of the Religious Education Assocation.  Letter reads:  Your letter of 14h inst. is just received enclosing the proposal of Mr. Frank K. Sanders.  I believe a cautious but conciliatory paper on the subject proposed may be productive of good results.  I would suggest that you speak on the existence of God, the …..ality of the soul and man’s most moral responsibility to His Creator…