The Catholic Central Union of America, founded in 1855 and headquartered in St Louis, has gifted their Italian immigration files to the Italian Community of St Louis. The files include tens of thousands of documents regarding immigration settlement from the 1880s until the 1960s. Before Catholic Charities, the Catholic Central Union of America was responsible for settling immigrants in the St Louis area. The organization's purpose is to promote Christian humanism with respect for the dignity and rights of all human beings. It is located near Saint Louis University at 3835 Westminster Place, Saint Louis, Mo. 63108.

Among the noteworthy achievements of the Catholic Central Union of America have been its successful support of laws enabling credit unions, establishing workmen's compensation, and permitting public school buses to transport Catholic schoolchildren.

During and after the Second World War, the Central Bureau (the organization's central office in St Louis) of the Catholic Central Union of American served until the 1960s as the official agency of the Archdiocese of St. Louis for resettling refugees and displaced persons from Europe and other places. In more recent years, the Central Bureau has conducted humanitarian aid work in Central America. Over the years, the organization has adapted its outlook and activities for the good of people of all ethnic backgrounds. The publication of the Social Justice Review, a magazine, was the Central Bureau's main activity since 1908 until 2012.

Among the many surnames found in the Italian immigration files are: Balassi, Bommarito, Buzetta, Castro, Chinici, Colombo, Comici, Coroso, DeGrassi, DiPiazza, Ferrara, Franzi, Maniaci, Marino, Serra, and Vitale. The documents add an interesting perspective into the history of Italian immigration to St Louis and The Hill neighborhood. 

The files are currently under the care of Michael Cross. To schedule an appointment to access the files, please contact Michael Cross at: [email protected]

Below are photos of several documents in the Italian immigration files. 

We welcome Prof. Paolo Scartoni as lecture of Italian at Washington University in St Louis. Paolo Scartoni’s research focuses on the relationship between music and language in medieval Italian literature. He earned his Ph.D. in Italian Studies from Rutgers University (2024) where he defended a dissertation entitled The Sound of Morals: Figures of Grammar and Music in Dante.

Before joining the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St Louis, Scartoni designed and taught courses on Italian language and culture at Rutgers University and Vassar College. He is Chief Associate Editor and Encoder at Petrarchive, the first born-digital edition of Petrarch’s Songbook.

Scartoni holds a Diploma in Piano from the Conservatory of Siena and a Master of Music in Fortepiano and Historical Piano from the Conservatory of Perugia.