Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-210).
Summary
"The story of the Catholic church in America is often found in its ethnic parishes. U.S. Catholicism absorbed a virtually unique cosmopolitan sweep of American people over its 200 years of official history"--Jacket.
Contents
Part 1. The early immigrant church, 1790-1860. 1. Identification and structure of the immigrant church -- 2. Frontier evangelizing and organizing -- 3. Organizational strategies for the urban church -- Part 2. The second stage of the immigrant church, 1860-1950. 4. The ethnic church develops, 1860-1950 -- 5. The Irish take charge -- 6. The Germans make the "national" difference -- 7. "The Polish kind of faith" -- 8. The separate world of Eastern Europeans -- 9. The Italian challenge -- 10. French-Canadians plead for survivance -- 11. Lost hopes for Black and Hispanic Catholics -- Part 3. The Postimmigrant church, 1950-.