The Education of an Urban Catholic Minority: Catholics in Chicago 1833–1965 by James W. Sanders (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 165 The Education of an Urban Catholic Minority: Catholics in Chicago 18331965 . By JAMES W. SANDERS. Oxford University Press: New York, 1977. Pp. xviii + 278. $18.95. When Chicago's first Catholic bishop arrived in 1843 he found a diocese without a single school. By the end of the nineteenth century the Archdiocese boasted the largest Catholic school system in the United States. The present study examines the role of the particular social context of Chicago in shaping this rapid growth of Catholic education through its " golden age " in the twentieth century up to the onset of its recent difficulties . Mr. Sanders finds that religious motivation, ethnicity, and poverty were the principal factors shaping Chicago's Catholic schools until the 1920's when Catholic entrance into the mainstream of Chicago life was clear in such signs as political power, increasing movement into the middle class, and decreasing ethnic tensions. Cardinal Mundelein, who presided over the schools during this pivotal period, is praised for his " political savvy " and his achievements in organizing Chicago's Catholic schools. The twenties' promise of continuing advancement was frustrated by the Depression and the Second World War, which hindered Catholic efforts to provide sufficient places for all who wished to attend their schools. The increasing presence of Black Catholics in the 1940's produced what the author calls a "race crisis" which has been exacerbated by the failure of the techniques developed by Chicago's Catholic schools in dealing with the problems of poverty and ethnicity to provide a viable Catholic education for Black Catholics. Mr. Sanders's study is based on a thorough immersion in the Archdiocesan Archives and his generalizations are supported with statistics drawn from a variety of public sources. The subjects taught in Chicago's Catholic schools are considered only in so far as they relate to ethnicity as is the case with instruction in languages other than English, which is discussed at several points. Although the important role of the teaching orders and congregations in the Archdiocesan school system is considered, it is not clear that the author has examined their respective archives. In the case of the Dominicans, for example, such a search would throw some light on how the Archdiocese's efforts to balance pastoral and educational needs could be experienced as a hindrance to their educational goals. The Education of an Urban Minority succeeds in relating the development of Chicago's Catholic schools to the particular social context of Chicago. Mr. Sanders has written a book which is informative, well researched , and a joy to read. Aquinas Institute Dubuque, Iowa JON ALEXANDER, 0. P. ...