Catholicism in the American West: A Rosary of Hidden Voices (review)

This wonderful collection of essays was originally presented as part of the Walter Prescott Webb Memorial Lecture Series held at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2004. The subtitle, A Rosary of Hidden Voices, is appropriate as the history of Catholicism in the West has long been neglected; indeed, as Steven Avella points out in his introduction, the West has been so neglected that westerners interpreted the acronym NCWC (National Catholic Welfare Conference) as “Nothing Counts West of Chicago.” Within the West the history of women and people of color has been even more neglected. These essays point the way toward correcting this neglect.

The contributors represent some of the best new scholarship of Catholicism in the American West. Avella provides a good beginning with his introduction that sets the historical and historiographical context for the collection. The first essay, by Anne M. Butler, is nothing short of stunning. “The Invisible Flock” attempts (and succeeds) in bringing “marginalized people to the center of the narrative” (p. 19). She explores the cultural encounter between European, American, Native American, and Mexican in the West and pays particular attention to the role of women religious in building the Church there. The sisters built at great personal and economic cost, typically coming with the promise, as stated by one bishop, “come here, work diligently, and do good, but do not expect one farthing from me” (p. 25).

Michael Engh, S.J., contributes a brilliant essay on the efforts of two lay Catholic leaders in Los Angeles in the early part of the twentieth century—Mary Julia Workman and Verona Spellmire. Workman excelled in social justice and settlement work while Spellmire developed religious education for non-Catholic school children that came to be known as the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Both women worked with the poor and people of color. The two made significant contributions overcoming their status as lay and female in a Catholic culture that was predominantly clerical and male in its authority structure.

William Issel writes a tremendous essay on Catholic Action in San Francisco, examining the major impact of several little-remembered laymen—most significantly Italian attorney Sylvester Andriano. Issel examines grassroots Catholic Action that greatly influenced the San Francisco civic polity, especially the labor movement in the 1930s. According to Issel, Catholic Action sought “to infuse everyday life and public policy with Catholic Christian principles” (p. 94).

Gina Marie Pitti, one of the most promising young scholars of the American West, writes a superb essay on the Mexican Catholic community in San Jose, California, during the post-World War II era and their struggle for a national parish. According to Pitti, the Mexican community struggled to overcome its marginalized status both civilly and ecclesially. Roberto Treviño has written an excellent essay examining the Chicano movement in Houston, Texas, during the 1960s, claiming that the Church alternately “resisted and embraced” (p. 140) the movement. The efforts of Patricio Flores, who became the first Mexican American bishop in the United States, are highlighted.

Matthew Pehl has written a solid essay on the Italian Catholic community in Carbon County, Utah.

This collection provides a real service by presenting valuable and interesting research on hitherto neglected Catholic groups in a region that has been equally neglected. This book is highly recommended.