Many Tongues, One Faith: A History of Franciscan Parish Life in the United States by David J. Endres (review)

A common trope in immigration histories of the United States is the profound effect U.S. culture has had on the many different ethnic and religious groups settling in America. While many coming to the United States had intentions of maintaining cultural and religious traditions as practiced in the Old World, the desire to fit into the American cultural majority was, in many cases, too strong a temptation. For many Catholics, a means for holding onto Old World devotions and practices was through the local parish. The parish became an oasis among a majority Protestant culture, a means of maintaining Catholic practice and identity. The centrality of the parish in American Catholic life would profoundly reshape Franciscan life and ministry.

In his study of Franciscan ministry in the United States, David J. Endres offers an intriguing and well narrated story of 16 representative parishes in which Franciscan priests, brothers, and sisters ministered to the needs of a variety of ethnic communities, from the early nineteenth century to the present. Endres primarily focuses on the three first-order male Franciscan communities: the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchins, and Conventuals. He also notes the important contributions offered by various Franciscan sisters working alongside their Franciscan brothers. In conjunction with Franciscan parish ministry, Endres narrates the creation of several Franciscan provinces formed due to ministerial needs in an expanding national and ethnic demography.

From the acquisition of established parishes to the founding and building of new structures, parish ministry became a central ministerial reality for the majority of American friars. As a major theme running through his study, Endres demonstrates how traditional Franciscan life as practiced in the Old World was transformed by the centrality of the parish in American Catholic life. In the Old World, friars did not have a tradition of parish ministry. Franciscan life was much more centered on the monastery, with a defined regiment of daily prayer. Such a commitment to the horarium was not practical for life in America, especially when dealing with the demands of parish ministry. While early Franciscan immigrants resisted change to their traditional religious lifestyle, many bishops put pressure on Franciscan superiors to encourage friars to accept parish assignments. In doing so, Franciscan life was noticeably changed.

While narrating Franciscan ministry in the United States, Endres also examines the changing reality of American life and how Franciscan parish ministry kept apace of these social and cultural changes. In many cases friars had to deal with the negative social realities of American life, especially in terms of racial and ethnic bigotry, as well as economic disparities. Advocacy for the rights of minorities is highlighted in the lives of such friars as Bonaventure Oblasser, OFM, who advocated for the rights of Native Americans in Arizona; Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap, who championed the rights of African Americans in Milwaukee; and Oliver Lynch, OFM, who sought economic and social equity for farm workers and Latinos in California. The establishment of parish schools, especially for the needs of minorities, highlights the dedication of Franciscan sisters who labored alongside their male counterparts, in some cases under difficult and challenging circumstances.

Many Tongues, One Faith is the first in the projected series United States Franciscan History Project by the Academy of American Franciscan History. It is an excellent study to begin such a series of historical research. Endres offers a well-written, well-researched history of Franciscan life and ministry in the United States. It is highly recommended to historians, and others, interested in American Catholic history.