Communion of Immigrants: A History of Catholics in America

by James T. Fisher

Overview

Catholicism has grown from a suppressed and persecuted outsiders' religion in the American colonies to become the nation's single largest denomination. James Fisher surveys more than four centuries of Catholics' involvement in American history, starting his narrative with one of the first Spanish expeditions to Florida, in 1528. He follows the transformation of Catholicism into one of America's most culturally and ethnically diverse religions, including the English Catholics' early settlement in Maryland, the Spanish missions to the Native Americans, the Irish and German poor who came in search of work and farmland, the proliferation of Polish and Italian communities, and the growing influx of Catholics from Latin America. The book discusses Catholic involvement in politics and conflict, from New York's Tammany Hall to the Vietnam War and abortion. Fisher highlights the critical role of women in American Catholicism—from St. Elizabeth Seton and Dorothy Day to Mother Cabrini, the first American citizen to be canonized a saint—and describes the influence of prominent American Catholics such as Cardinal John J. O'Connor, 1930s radio personality Father Charles Coughlin, President John F. Kennedy, pacifists Daniel and Philip Berrigan, activist Cesar Chavez, and author Flannery O'Connor. For this new edition, Fisher has brought the story up to date, including the latest struggles within the American church leadership.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195333305
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	11/28/2007
Series:	Religion in American Life Series
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	402,476
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

James T. Fisher is the Danforth Chair in Humanities and Professor in Theological Studies and History at Saint Louis University. His previous books include The Catholic Counterculture in America, 1933-1962 and Dr. America: The Lives of Thomas A. Dooley, 1927-1961.

Editorial Reviews

"An outstandingly accessible and up-to-date brief history of American Catholicism...ideally suited for classroom use, study groups, or the general reader." -- American Catholic Studies

"The chapters cover very salient events and historical figures, giving students enough of a sense of 'who' and 'what' to question and analyze related primary sources." -- Professor Cecilia Moore, University of Dayton

From the Publisher