Two Centuries of Faith: The Influence of Catholicism on Boston, 1808-2008 (review)

The year 2010 marked the 200^th anniversary of the creation of the Boston diocese along with the formation of the New York and Philadelphia dioceses, and the Baltimore archdiocese. Two Centuries of Faith highlights Boston Catholic life and its exceptionalism in United States Catholic history, providing a valuable perspective on the growth and development of the Catholic Church in America. The nine essays vary in quality and only three are summarized here.

Unlike their co-religionists in the other dioceses, Boston Catholics had to continually contend with a Puritan theocratic structure. The Irish Catholic population, however, threatened Protestant hegemony because they spoke English and were the predominant Catholic population in the city. Thomas O'Connor's article, "Papism and Politics in Massachusetts" outlined the development of the Catholic political power that began as a response to the triumph of the Know Nothing party in the 1840s. Cognizant of the importance of political representation, Bishop John Fitzpatrick, the city's second ordinary, urged immigrants to gain citizenship. As a result, Hugh O'Brien became Boston's first Catholic mayor in 1884. Both Archbishops William O'Connell and Richard Cushing used the political process to thwart the attempt to introduce child labor laws and birth control into the state. This power was short-lived, however, as succeeding archbishops lost the political clout necessary to influence the legislature.

This use of political power resulted in other anomalies. Unlike other dioceses, Boston bishops ignored the directives of the First Provincial Council in 1829, mandating the establishment of parochial schools. Bishop John Fitzgerald and Archbishop John Williams never overtly encouraged the creation of an extensive Catholic school system, but rather trusted Catholic teachers working for the Boston Public School system to shepherd the faithful (85-88).

Libby MacDonald Birschoff's interesting article, "I am a Catholic Just as I am a Dweller on the Planet," focused on Boston's Catholic literary renaissance of the 1880s and 1890s. Led by John Boyle O'Reilly, the editor of the privately-owned Boston Pilot, the paper provided Catholics a means to engage the Brahmin elite. The newspaper not only published articles of interest to the Irish immigrant community, but also news about Boston's notable literary community. O'Reilly's interest in the literary scene earned Protestant respect for his enterprise. His ability to bridge the religious divide was extraordinary for the time. When Archbishop O'Connell purchased the Pilot in 1908 as the official archdiocesan organ, the literary revival ceased. The O'Connell era ended the city's independent Catholic literary movement replacing it with a Catholic separatist identity.

James O'Toole's concluding article, "Boston Catholics and Their Bishops," provides an appropriate capstone for the book by reviewing the evolution of Boston Catholicism through the actions undertaken by individual bishops. Unlike other dioceses, Boston was fortunate to be led by home-grown ecclesiastical leaders for 114 of its 200-year history. By examining the history of the archdiocese from this perspective, the priorities of the diocese can be ascertained. O'Toole's insightful comments traced the pastoral perspective of Boston's first bishop John Cheverus (1808-1823) to Cardinal Bernard Law (1984-2002). The article is noteworthy due to its approach. By looking at other diocesan histories using the same model, similar comparisons can be made as ecclesiastical leaders struggled to respond to the challenges of the church and society.

Two Centuries of Faith furthers scholars' understanding of the development of an important American archdiocese and its interaction with American Protestant culture. Despite the articles' unevenness, the book provides a valuable resource in suggesting topics for further study. The work should be a part of an academic and local public library collection.