National Catholic War Council (U.S.)

When the United States entered the First World War in 1917, it relied heavily upon the volunteer actions of private individuals and organizations to support the war effort. Among these was the Roman Catholic Church which was broadly perceived as an immigrant body whose loyalty and patriotism was suspect and certainly untested in battle. Responding to this challenge under the motto of "For God and Country," American Catholics led by Father John J. Burke created the National Catholic War Council (NCWC), the forerunner of the National Catholic Welfare Conference that is currently known as the United States Catholic Conference (USCC), the secretariat of the American Hierarchy. The War Council of 1917 represented the first coming together of the American bishops in voluntary association to address great national issues affecting the Church. It was able to deal successfully with such problems as meeting the spiritual and material needs of soldiers preparing for war and women and youth drawn to the cities and the factories. The American Hierarchy soon realized that this united and coordinated effort in wartime was crucial to more effective protection of Church interests in peacetime. This resulted in the creation in 1919 of the National Catholic Welfare Council (later Conference) which involved itself at the federal, state, and local levels of Catholic activity regarding legislation, education, publicity, and social action. Success in providing leadership for the growth and development of the Catholic Church in the United States induced hierarchies in many countries to replicate its organization and methods.

The National Catholic War Council was founded in 1917 by the American bishops to aid in the war effort. Headed by James Cardinal Gibbons, the War Council was the forerunner of the National Catholic Welfare Conference.