First published 2013
Russell Shaw examines whether Catholic integration into American society has helped or harmed the Church over two centuries. Shaw argues that cultural assimilation, promoted by leaders like Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore around 1900, brought Catholics many advantages but now endangers Catholic identity among millions of believers and their institutions including schools, universities, and hospitals. Shaw documents this transformation through compelling historical episodes: the intellectual battle between Father Orestes Brownson and Transcendentalist convert Isaac Hecker, Pope Leo XIII's rejection of Americanism, the anti-Catholic hostility faced by presidential candidates Al Smith and John F. Kennedy, and the internal Church disputes following Vatican II. Shaw concludes with practical recommendations for addressing the ongoing institutional decline that weakens the American Catholic Church and potentially threatens its survival.
Genres: american, non-fiction, biography-memoir, church-history, catholic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction, social-commentary
Setting: Baltimore, America, United States
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century
240 pages · Paperback · Ignatius Press