American Catholics and the 1619 Project
American Catholics and Slavery Throughout the centuries leading up to Emancipation, many slaveholders were Catholics. After the Jesuits landed in Maryland in 1634, they acquired land. And in the...
View ArticleConvents White and Black
American Sisters and Social Justice Many today are familiar with the photos of American women religious marching during the Civil Rights Movement. Catholic Sisters have advocated for social justice at...
View ArticleA House Divided: The American Bishops and the Civil War
A Hierarchy Divided As we mentioned earlier, some mainline Protestant Churches formally divided over the slavery issue. Although the Catholic Church did not formally do so, they did side with the...
View ArticleThe Struggle for an African American Priesthood
“The Dignity of the Priesthood” In a sermon on “The True Priesthood,” delivered at Brooklyn’s St. Ambrose Church in May 1886, Father Daniel Sheehy declared to his parishioners: What a dignity, the...
View Article“It’s About Time They Got Here”: Catholics and the Civil Rights Movement
Charity Not Enough Today we focus on a brighter spot in American Catholic history: the Church and the Civil Rights Movement. Many Catholics were late to the movement, while some were early. By the...
View ArticleAmerican Catholics and Race in 2020: A Church Historian’s Reflection
“Are We There Yet?” Over the past week, we’ve looked at some painful history. While it has at times been hard to address, as a Church, we’ve definitely come a long way. Still, as one of my college...
View ArticleSt. John Henry Newman and the “Special Charm of Christmas”
I grew up in the pre-internet age, so I still have a sense of awe every time I turn on a computer. Yesterday morning, for example, I was looking at a great website devoted to the works of St. John...
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