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An excellent history of Catholic laity in the U.S. can be found in James O’Toole’s, The Faithful, (Harvard: Belknap, 2008). The book spells out six eras of Catholic lay involvement, beginning with The Priestless Church, 1720-1800. The dominant mode was “flexibility.” By 1780, 16,000 Catholics were in the thirteen colonies with only 19 priests to serve them. The laity awaited a circuit-riding priest to come by at rare intervals. People made do with devotional gatherings in their homes or in small chapels they constructed. Most Catholics were on their own, with little connection to the clergy or to the pope in Rome.The second era O’Toole calls The Democratic Church, 1800-1850. During this time the sentiment was “sharing.” In 1825, there were eleven dioceses, but by 1845 there were 21, which included over 500 priests. There were enough clergy to established parishes in most areas where Sunday Mass was celebrated on a weekly basis. Catholics shared the surrounding republican culture. In North and South Carolina, for example, Bishop John England established a Diocesan Constitution that included rights and duties of all Catholics. Trustees were founded in many American parishes to take care of temporal affairs. In some locations, the trustees even hired and fired pastors, which caused much fear and concern among the bishops. Then came The Immigrant Church, 1850-1900, during which “coping” with the onslaught was the predominant attitude. Between 1845 and 1900, 800,000 newcomers from Ireland alone arrived. The population went from 8% Catholic in 1850, to 18% in 1900. New parishes sprang up throughout the country at a furious rate. There was also a growing dichotomy between priests and people resulting in altar rails, pastors making the decisions, the Roman Collar and the title “Monsignor.” The turn of the last century gave birth to The Catholic Action Church,1900-1960. The key word became “service” as the Social Gospel of the papal encyclicals began to take hold. National movements came into being, including Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker, the Catholic Rural Life Conference, Trade Unions, Friendship House, the Grail, and others. New organizations sprang up on the parish level as well. The Holy Name Society, St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Youth Organization and the Catholic Family Movement all got started during this time. Then came The Vatican II Church, 1960-2000, with the People of God motif and “ministering” as the dominant theme. Church rules and regulations were relaxed. Women assumed new ministering roles and became the majority on parish staffs. The laity came into adulthood as members of councils and decision making bodies. Bible study, personal prayer and spiritual guidance were encouraged. A drop in Mass attendance, in vocations and in loyalty to the pope’s pronouncements also marked this era. And now The 21st Century Church, 2000 and beyond, in which “diversity” is the hallmark. The American Church is less European in its origins and more of a global makeup. In many ways, the present experience of Church contains all that went before. Unless there is a change in the requirements for priesthood, it could become priestless once again. By 2000, there were only half as many priests as there was in 1975, going from 60,000 to 30,000. It is more democratic as the laity demand answers from the sex abuse. Immigrant Catholics continue to pour in from elsewhere, while social service and ministering to the needs of others is alive and well in parishes. It is becoming the Century of the Laity, the People of God. Tom Sweetser, SJ & Peg Bishop, OSF
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Parish Newsletter - May, 2009
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