Cathedral Films, Inc. was established in 1939 by the Reverend James K. Friedrich, an Episcopal priest who advocated film as a medium of Christian Education and ministry. In 1943 Cathedral Films became a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. It remained a leader in the production and distribution of religious educational films, filmstrips and recordings across denominations for the next 30-plus years, with many films receiving national and international recognition. By the late 1970s, when rising costs began to affect the religious media industry's production abilities, Cathedral Films' Trustees and Directors proposed to turn itself and its assets over to The Episcopal Church, so that the Church could continue Cathedral's film ministry and ongoing media outreach. That agreement was formalized in 1981. The Archives became the official repository for Cathedral Films in 1999. The archive includes files, slide boards, photographs, audio recordings, 16mm and 35mm motion picture films, filmstrips, vinyl phonographs, administrative records, (some records and films are dated earlier, including copies of original Articles of Incorporation and subsequent nonprofit amendments). A full listing of film titles is available. The Archives also holds the papers (1958–1981) of founder and James Friedrich.
