In Search of an American Catholicism : A History of Religion and Culture in Tension

For more than two hundred years, writes eminent Catholic historian Jay P. Dolan, Catholics have struggled to reconcile two sets of values, as Americans and as Catholics. In this incisive, elegantly written account, Dolan explores how Catholics have met the challenges they have faced as New World followers of an Old World faith. The ideals of democracy--and American culture in general--have deeply shaped Catholicism in the United States, Dolan argues, even as far back as 1789, when the nation's first bishop was elected by the clergy (and the pope accepted their choice). Dolan follows the tension between American democratic values and Catholic doctrine, from the conservative reaction after the fall of Napoleon, to the modernist movement of the late nineteenth century, to the impact of the Second Vatican Council. Dolan explores grassroots devotional life; the struggle against successive waves of nativism, from nineteenth-century Know-Nothings to the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s; the impact--and often, collision--of different immigrant groups and their traditions; and the disputed issue of gender. He shows throughout that influences have flowed in both directions; belief and church traditions have shaped Catholics' sense of citizenship, community, and public advocacy. Today, the author writes, the tensions remain, as we see signs of both a resurgent traditionalism in the church in response to the liberalizing trend launched by John XXIII, and a resistance to the conservatism of John Paul II. In this lucidly written account, the unfinished story of Catholicism in America emerges clearly and compellingly, illuminating the inner life of the church and of the nation. For more than two hundred years American Catholics have struggled to reconcile their national and religious values. In this incisive and accessible account, distinguished Catholic historian Jay P. Dolan explores the way American Catholicism has taken its distinctive shape and follows how Catholics have met the challenges they have faced as New World followers of an Old World religion. Dolan argues that the ideals of democracy, and American culture in general, have deeply shaped Catholicism in the United States as far back as 1789, when the nation's first bishop was elected by the clergy (and the pope accepted their choice). Dolan looks at the tension between democratic values and Catholic doctrine from the conservative reaction after the fall of Napoleon to the impact of the Second Vatican Council. Furthermore, he explores grassroots devotional life, the struggle against nativism, the impact and collision of different immigrant groups, and the disputed issue of gender. Today Dolan writes, the tensions remain, as we see signs of a resurgent traditionalism in the church in response to the liberalizing trend launched by John XXIII, and also a resistance to the conservatism of John Paul II. In this lucid account, the unfinished story of Catholicism in America emerges clearly and compellingly, illuminating the inner life of the church and of the nation. In this lucid account, the unfinished story of Catholicism in America emerges clearly and compellingly, illuminating the inner life of the church and of the nation. ## Abstract Catholics have struggled to reconcile two sets of values, those as Americans and those as Catholics, for more than 200 years, and in this book, Jay Dolan explores how Catholics have met these challenges as New World followers of an Old World faith. He argues that the ideals of democracy – and American culture in general – have deeply shaped Catholicism in the U.S.A., even as far back as 1789, when the nation's first bishop was elected by the clergy (and the pope accepted their choice). Dolan follows the tension between American democratic values and the Catholic doctrine, from the conservative reaction after the fall of Napoleon, to the modernist movement of the late nineteenth century, to the impact of the Second Vatican Council. He explores several issues: grassroots devotional life; the struggle against successive waves of nativism, from nineteenth‐century “Know Nothings” to the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s; the impact – and often collision – of different immigrant groups and their traditions; and the disputed issue of gender. He shows throughout that influences have flowed in both directions; belief and church traditions have shaped the Catholic sense of citizenship, community, and public advocacy. The tensions remain in contemporary America, as signs are seen of both a resurgent traditionalism in the church in response to the liberalizing trend launched by John XXIII, and a resistance to the conservatism of John Paul II. From the earliest days of the Republic, American Catholics have experienced dual allegiances - to the Church and to a nation whose culture was sometimes shaped by religious values, but often at odds with them. In this history, the Catholic historian Jay Dolan follows the way American Catholicism has taken its distinctive shape and examines the complex identity of Catholics in the United States. The book focuses on American Catholics during three specific periods : the republican period (1780-1820), when the idea of democracy, based on the principles of the American Revolution, filtered into the Catholic community and changed the way that Catholics thought and acted; the beginnings of the modern industrial era (1880-1920), when Catholics began to leave the cultural and intellectual cocoon of the immigrant Church and to explore the intellectual frontiers of the new age; and finally, during the contemporary period (1960 and beyond), when the Catholic Church responded to the social, cultural, and intellectual forces of the period with the reforms of the Vatican II movement, while at the same time recognizing the strength and vitality gained from the cultural and ethnic diversity of its adherents American Catholics Have Always Experienced Dual Allegiances, To The Church And To Their Nation. In This History, The Author Looks At How American Catholicism Has Taken Shape And Examines The Complex Identity Of Catholics In The Us. Jay P. Dolan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [261]-281) And Index. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION and culture has fascinated me for many years.