The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America - Hardcover

O'Toole, James M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067402818X ISBN 13: 9780674028180

Publisher: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Shaken by the ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal, and challenged from within by social and theological division, Catholics in America are at a crossroads. But is today’s situation unique? And where will Catholicism go from here? With the belief that we understand our present by studying our past, James O’Toole offers a bold and panoramic history of the American Catholic laity.

O’Toole tells the story of this ancient church from the perspective of ordinary Americans, the lay believers who have kept their faith despite persecution from without and clergy abuse from within. It is an epic tale, from the first settlements of Catholics in the colonies to the turmoil of the scandal-ridden present, and through the church’s many American incarnations in between. We see Catholics’ complex relationship to Rome and to their own American nation. O’Toole brings to life both the grand sweep of institutional change and the daily practice that sustained believers. The Faithful pays particular attention to the intricacies of prayer and ritual—the ways men and women have found to express their faith as Catholics over the centuries.

With an intimate knowledge of the dilemmas and hopes of today’s church, O’Toole presents a new vision and offers a glimpse into the possible future of the church and its parishioners. Moving past the pulpit and into the pews, The Faithful is an unmatched look at the American Catholic laity. Today’s Catholics will find much to educate and inspire them in these pages, and non-Catholics will gain a newfound understanding of their religious brethren.

About this title

About the Author:

James M. O’Toole is Clough Millennium Professor of History, Boston College.

Review:

The Faithful is a truly original and mature work that gives us a rich history of American Catholics. There is simply no comparable book.
--David O'Brien, Holy Cross

An ambitious narrative history of American Catholicism, written with great historical range and attention to lived experience. It has profound contemporary resonance. This courageous book, unafraid to explore the story's darker moments, is destined to become the new standard text on American Catholicism.
--Robert Orsi, Northwestern University

Solidly researched, engagingly told and insightfully interpreted, The Faithful is the first comprehensive history of lay Catholic prayer, politics and creative fidelity to church teaching, even in times of crisis such as the present. It could not come at a better time, as American Catholics struggle to reclaim a legacy of moral leadership and stalwart service to the nation.
--R. Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame

O'Toolesurveys the lay Catholic experience in America with remarkable breadth and mastery. Lively and accessible, this book provides a valuable introduction to American Catholic history.
--Leslie Tentler, Catholic University of America

O'Toole's history, focusing especially on personal narratives, makes for captivating reading...A history worth reading. (Kirkus Reviews 2008-02-15)

For readers who are familiar with the church, the primary joy of this book will be found in checking their own experiences against those described by O'Toole. Still, the genial style of writing together with a plentiful amount of fascinating tidbits will keep all but the most jaded expert going. (Publishers Weekly 2008-02-11)

O'Toole deftly tells the history of lay Catholics in America. Beginning with the priestless church of the Colonial period, he goes on to explore the church in the democratic republic, the immigrant church, the church of Catholic Action, the church of Vatican II, and the church in the 21st century.
--Augustine J. Curley (Library Journal 2008-03-15)

Especially timely...This is not so much a history as, in this case, a penetrating, deftly worked summary of organizational and liturgical developments, formal and informal, in the American Catholic Church with emphasis on the role and influence of the laity.
--Katherine A. Powers (Boston Globe 2008-04-20)

O'Toole crams an array of stories, profiles and statistics into his book that will make it a welcome addition to the shelf of anyone interested in the country's religious culture. His focus is on how the relationship between rank-and-file Catholics and the church has changed since the country's colonial era...O'Toole's prodigious research and engaging writing ensure that The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America will be the authoritative work on this subject for quite some time.
--Claude R. Marx (St. Petersburg Times 2008-04-25)

An intriguing book, brimming with wisdom. It studies the evolution of U.S. Catholicism by dividing it into a half-dozen historic segments, from the Colonial "priestless church" to the muscular, immigrant-fed church a century ago, to the reformist, post-Vatican II church and beyond.
--Rich Barlow (Boston Globe 2008-05-07)

About this edition

• Publisher: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 067402818X
• ISBN 13: 9780674028180
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384