Catholic Council on Civil Liberties

The American Freedoms Council was incorporated on May 26, 1959, in Omaha, Nebraska, by John Holman and Gerald McGuire. The Council was conceived as a type of "Catholic Civil Liberties Union" in which the laity could work for the general welfare without fear of compromising their religious principles. The aims of the group were to promote closer cooperation of Catholics in a non-political body for the purposes of benevolence, charity and education, and to educate its members in civic and religious liberty and the constitutional rights of all American citizens. In 1961, the board of directors voted to change the organization's name to the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties. At this time the national headquarters were moved to Lawndale, California. The group disbanded in 1966.

The American Freedoms Council was incorporated on May 26, 1959, in Omaha, Nebraska, by John Holman and Gerald McGuire. The Council was conceived as a type of "Catholic Civil Liberties Union" in which the laity could work for the general welfare without fear of compromising their religious principles.

The aims of the group were to promote closer cooperation of Catholics in a non-political body for the purposes of the benevolence, charity, and education and to educate its members in civic and religious liberty and the constitutional rights of all American citizens. Local chapters soon sprung up in cities across the country, including Cleveland, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Brooklyn, New York; and Detroit, Michigan.

In 1961, the board of directors voted to change the organization's name to the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties. At this time the national headquarters was moved to Lawndale, California. The group disbanded in 1966.

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