Catholic Biblical Association Founded Today, 1936

The occasion for the formation of the Catholic Biblical Association was the outcome of the desire of Bishop Edwin O’Hara, chair of the Episcopal Committee on the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, to improve quality of the New Testament normally used by Catholics by having the Challoner-Rheims New Testament revised. In 1936 O’Hara called a meeting of American Catholic Scripture scholars to help plan and carry out the project. At this meeting a proposal was aired and agreed to for the formation of an association of American Catholic biblical scholars. At a subsequent meeting on Oct. 3, 1936, the CBA was voted into existence. Edward P. Arbez was elected its first president. A committee drew up a Constitution and By-laws, and these were approved and adopted in 1937. The CBA was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1941 and reincorporated in 1958. While the CBA began with fifty charter members in 1936, its active and associate members number 1,280 in 1996 spread throughout the world.

(From the CBA website)