New Advent is aCatholic website that providesonline versions of various works connected with the Church.[1]
New Advent was founded by Kevin Knight, a Catholic layman.[1] During the visit ofPope John Paul II forWorld Youth Day in 1993, Knight, then a 26-year-old resident ofDenver, Colorado, was inspired to launch a project to publish the 1913 edition of the 1907–1912Catholic Encyclopedia on the Internet.[2] Knight founded the non-profit website New Advent to house the undertaking.[1] Volunteers from theUnited States,Canada,France andBrazil helped in the transcription of the original material. The site went online in 1995 and transcription efforts forCatholic Encyclopedia finished in 1997.[2]
New Advent contains several public domain documents relevant to Catholics, including theCatholic Encyclopedia, theSumma Theologica, translated writings of theChurch Fathers, a variety of papal encyclicals, and aggregated news relating to the Catholic Church.[1][3]
The website provides navigation between related document through the frequent use ofhyperlinks to other works hosted on its website.[1]
Writing inReference Reviews,Georgia State University librarian Brian K. Koy labels the website as "highly recommended". Koy describes the website's content as straightforward and as being faithful to the text of the original works hosted on the website, but laments the relative lack of images and what he considers the overuse of hyperlinks.[1]