A view of urban Catholicism, The Immigrant Church focuses on the people in the pews and furnishes a comparison of Irish and German Catholic life in mid-nineteenth-century New York City. Nearly one-half of the city's population in 1865 consisted of Irish and German Catholics. Singling out three parishes (one Irish, one German, and one a mixed group of Germans and Irish), Dolan examines the role of religion in strengthening group life in these ethnic communities, traces the development of the Catholic Church in the city, and reveals the relationship between urban and church growth.

About the Author

Jay P. Dolan is professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame, where he founded the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism in 1975 and was the director of the Center until 1993. He is the author of, among other books, In Search of American Catholicism (2002) and The American Catholic Experience: A History from Colonial Times to the Present (Notre Dame Press edition, 1992).

Reviews

"Fascinating reading for those interested in ethnicity, immigration, Catholicism, and religion. Indeed, it will make fascinating reading for anyone interested in understanding the heterogeneous but durable American republic as it lumers into its third century." -Journal of American History

"This important and first-rate book . . . is social history at its best." -Commonweal

"It all makes for a fine introduction to the kind of church history that needs more doing: people-history." -Church History

"A valuable and perceptive portrait of urban Catholicism based on wide research." -Times Literary Supplement

Book Information
ISBN 9780268011512
Author Jay P. Dolan
Format Paperback
Page Count 238
Imprint University of Notre Dame Press
Publisher University of Notre Dame Press
Weight(grams) 308g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 14mm