 Spalding wrote several books, including a biography of his uncle Archbishop Martin John Spalding, and poetry under the pseudonym Henry Hamilton.The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore of 1884 authorized a commission be established to create a uniform catechism.Spalding and Monsignor Januarius de Concilio of Seton Hall prepared a draft and distributed it to the bishops, who were to forward their revisions to Spalding, who would, in turn, report back at the next meeting.