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An overview in primary documents of almost four hundred years of the American Catholic experience
Among the first European explorers of the Americas, Catholics have a long and rich history in the United States. In this collection of significant letters, diaries, theological reflections, and other primary documents, the voices of Catholics in this country reveal what they have thought, believed, feared, and dreamed.
American Catholic History spans the earliest missionary voyages in the sixteenth century, to the present day, illuminating the complex history, beliefs, and practices of what has become North American Roman Catholicism. In an engaging and accessible style, the brief introductions to each text provide historical and biographical context and illuminate broad themes in the development of the American Catholic tradition. From Catholicism’s encounters with new frontiers to its long-time position outside mainstream culture, and from its intellectual life and political engagement to patterns of worship and spirituality, this book offers a lively first-hand review of Catholicism’s multifaceted history in the United States.
This expanded edition includes 34 new documents, and offers more robust coverage of the diverse communities of Catholics in this country.
— Julie Byrne,author of The Other Catholics: Remaking America’s Largest Religion
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"This updated and revised edition is the go-to primary source reader to assign for any and all undergraduate and graduate-level courses on American Catholicism. Drs. Massa and Osborne have done a tremendous job curating a wide array of essential readings for scholars and students of Catholicism. This book fills an important niche in American Catholic Studies and is essential reading for scholars and students alike.
"— Kristy Nabhan-Warren,Professor and V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair of Catholic Studies, The University of Iowa
"The newly added documents better represent diverse viewpoints, e.g., those of African American Catholics and Spanish-speaking Catholics."
"American Catholic History: A Documentary Reader included 70 documents that provided key insights into the lived experience of Catholics[Editors] Mark Massa, S.J. and Catherine Osborne recently released an updated edition of the reader that carries the American Catholic story forward an additional two decades."
"Mark Massa and Catherine Osborne have created a valuable resource for teachers and scholars of American Catholicism. This documentary reader, first published in 2008, has 34 new documents. Once more it achieves a rare feat for its genre: the editors have been comprehensive, creative, suggestive, and provocative. Scholars would do well to pick up the volume for its stimulating reflections on the field of Catholic Studies. Teachers, of course, will find a wide range of documents capable of prompting discussion and a series of introductions that help students become the scholars."