[1] As the Diocese of Pittsburgh prepared to celebrate its centenary in 1943, interest in the Catholic history of western Pennsylvania was finally great enough to inspire the foundation of a new historical society in the pattern of Msgr.

[5] The founding meeting of the Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania was held on May 27, 1940, at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

[4][7] In the years after its founding, the Society hosted a variety of events throughout the Catholic dioceses of western Pennsylvania, including "regular lectures, field tours, radio addresses (and later TV interviews), essay contests and lectures in schools, public exhibits, special religious ceremonies, oral history interviews, and workshops.

Soon after the dedication of this space, the Society began work on preserving past issues of the Pittsburgh Catholic in microfilm.

[11] The Society enjoyed a time of renewed interest and activity, and in 1986 inaugurated Gathered Fragments as a biannual newsletter.