The Cambridge Companion to American Catholicism

Description

This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of American Catholicism's historical development and distinctive features. The essays - all specially commissioned for this volume - highlight the inner diversity of American Catholicism and trace the impact of American Catholics on all aspects of society, including education, social welfare, politics, and intellectual life. The volume also addresses topics of contemporary concern, such as gender and sexuality, arts and culture, social activism, and the experiences of Black, Latinx, Asian-American, and cultural Catholics. Taken together, the essays in this Companion provide context for understanding American Catholicism as it is currently experienced, and help to situate present-day developments and debates within their longer trajectory.

Margaret M. McGuinness is Professor of Religion at La Salle University, Philadelphia. She is the author of Called to Serve: A History of Nuns in America (2013), which won the 2014 Catholic Book Award in History and received the 2016 Distinguished Book Award from the Conference on the History of Women Religious. She is also the author of Neighbors and Missionaries: A History of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine (2012). Thomas F. Rzeznik is an Associate Professor of History at Seton Hall University, New Jersey and co-editor of the quarterly journal, American Catholic Studies. He is author of Church and Estate: Religion and Wealth in Industrial-Era Philadelphia (2013).

'... an outstanding overview of the US's distinctive Catholic history ... Recommended.' R. A. Boisclair, Choice Connect