Don’t Know Much About American Church History?

Class 3: John Carroll and his vision, Gaelicanism of the American Church, Slavery, US Civil War

Recap

Last week, we left America at her formation.

With a patchwork framework, the framers of the US Constitution chose to allow for freedom of worship.

This was the hope of the first American bishop, John Carroll.

His Origins

Born January 8, 1735 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Family very patriotic

Distant relative (Charles Carroll)- only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence

Brief time of being educated in US

Sent to Europe to be educated by Jesuits

In Europe

During his time in Europe, he discovers a vocation to the priesthood

Enters the Jesuits- ordained 1769

Returns home in 1774- finds it much different

Winds of Revolution

1774- First Continental Congress meetingCarroll not involved- goes quietly to minister to people around his mother

1773- Jesuits suppressed February, 1776- included in a delegation to go to Canada to speak to Catholics

No success, but met some of the founding fathers, e.g. Franklin

On the Path to the Episcopacy

From 1776-1783, Fr. Carroll was involved helping all Americans cope with the struggles of the revolution.

Became known as a noble man of resources, and a firm will

November, 1789- Pius VI names him bishop of the newly created see of Baltimore

His Diocese

Everything east of the Mississippi

30,000 Catholics

25 priests from 7 different countries

Establish a strong, Church in the United States

Wanted to see it develop in a process of open debate

With European interests out of it

Carroll’s Plan

The Failure of Carroll’s Plan

These plans did not develop as he wanted

1. Lack of Episcopal collaborators

2. Establishing/developing of new diocese

3. National clergy slowly developing

4. Catholics marrying Protestants and converting

5. Trusteeism

Reflection Question

What is your opinion of Bishop Carroll?

Immigration

By 1808- 80 parishes, 70 priests, and 70,000 Catholics

1790s- French Revolution

1830s- Immigrants from Germany

1840s- Potato Famine in Ireland

American Church Becomes Irish

During and after the French Revolution, many French clerics made their way to America

As the situation settled down, many Irish people and clerics began coming to America

Irish priests trained in France

Characteristics of these Priests

Ultramontanists generallyIrish- “I’m Catholic because I’m Irish and I’m Irish because I’m Catholic”The model priest...

Built churchesIncreased devotion to Peter’s PenceClosed the local public school

All Hallows SeminaryBetween 1842-1890- 1,200 ordinations with 600 to US (6 bishops)3 characteristics

Devotion to universal ChurchEmbracement of celibacySense of clerical leadership

Effect

1890- 90% of seminarians in US Irish

Caused a revival of the Catholic Church

Potato Famine

As a result of the famine, 1 million die and 1 million flee

Potatoes- last 6-9 months- cause great population increase

September, 1845- blight strikes- no one understands

America sends corn- few starve

Irish Come to US

New government in England- do not believe in governmental assistance

Blight worse- prices soar in 1846

3 stages- Resiliency, anger, acceptance

Spring of 1847- ‘Black 47”

Soupers- Catholics who convert for food

Irish Come to US

75% of Irish immigrants to US

Nationalism in America wanted to stop this flow

Fear that America would be less white and Protestant

Efforts to Stop Immigration

“Know-nothing” Party

Baird, Morse, Nast

Rebecca Reed

Maria Monk

American Protestant Association

Reflection Question

How do we still feel the effects of this large Irish immigration today, both in society and as a Church?

Church and Slavery

It is popularly believed that the Church whole heartedly endorsed and approved of slavery.

Judge John Noonan, Theologian Laennec Hurbon, and author John F. Maxwell

This is not exactly the whole truth

St. Paul to Philemon

Only letter of St. Paul written to an individual

He is writing to Philemon on account of a run away slave, Onesimus.

Onesimus converted to Christianity while with Paul and he is sending him back to him and appealing to him to see him as a brother in Christ

St. Paul to Philemon

Philem. 8 Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ to order you to do what is proper, Philem. 9 I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus. Philem. 10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment, Philem. 11 who was once useless to you but is now useful to [both] you and me. Philem. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.

Beyond St. Paul

Seventh Century: Saint Bathilde (wife of Clovis II) fights to end the slave trade

851: Saint Anskar seeks to end Viking slave trade

Allows slaves to be baptized- teachers teach it is not permissible to enslave Christians

St. Thomas Aquinas denounced slavery as opposed to the natural law

More Modern Denunciations

1435, Pope Eugene IV in the bull Sicut Dudum"They have deprived the natives of their property or turned it to their own use, and have subjected some of the inhabitants of said islands to perpetual slavery (subdiderunt perpetuae servituti), sold them to other persons and committed other various illicit and evil deeds against them.... Therefore We ... exhort, through the sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ shed for their sins, one and all, temporal princes, lords, captains, armed men, barons, soldiers, nobles, communities and all others of every kind among the Christian faithful of whatever state, grade or condition, that they themselves desist from the aforementioned deeds, cause those subject to them to desist from them, and restrain them rigorously. And no less do We order and command all and each of the faithful of each sex that, within the space of fifteen days of the publication of these letters in the place where they live, that they restore to their pristine liberty all and each person of either sex who were once residents of said Canary Islands ... who have been made subject to slavery (servituti subicere). These people are to be totally and perpetually free and are to be let go without the exaction or reception of any money."

More Modern Denunciations

Paul III, Sublimis Deus, 1537

"Therefore, We, . . . noting that the Indians themselves indeed are true men and are not only capable of the Christian faith, but, as has been made known to us, promptly hasten to the faith' and wishing to provide suitable remedies for them, by our Apostolic Authority decree and declare by these present letters that the same Indians and all other peoples-even though they are outside the faith-who shall hereafter come to the knowledge of Christians have not been deprived or should not be deprived of their liberty or of their possessions. Rather they are to be able to use and enjoy this liberty and this ownership of property freely and licitly, and are not to be reduced to slavery, and that whatever happens to the contrary is to be considered null and void. These same Indians and other peoples are to be invited to the said faith in Christ by preaching and the example of a good life."

The pontifical teaching was continued by the response of the Holy Office on March 20, 1686, under Innocent XI, and by the encyclical of Benedict XIV, Immensa Pastorum, on December 20, 1741. This work was followed by the efforts of Pius VII at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to have the victors over Napoleon outlaw slavery. - Fr. Joel Panzer

So What Happened?

It was not that the Church did not teach against slavery.

It was more that no one paid attention to what she was teaching.

So What Happened?

Bishop John England of Charleston Since in Latin- for Spanish and Portuguese only.

Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick (Archbishop of Baltimore)Book on Moral Theology- Question of slavery could get into the society and cause discord. Number one was peace of society and two rights of property owners. Liberty was third.

Bishop Auguste Marie Martin (Bishop of Natchitoches, Louisiana)- “Better for the race of Cain”Bishop Augustin Verot (Florida)- Called abolitionists “rabble-rousers”

So What Happened?

There were some who spoke out on behalf of slaves

Bishop John Purcell (Bishop of Cincinnati)

Archbishop Felix Dupanloup

Father Claude Maistre

Pierre Toussaint

Analysis

The Church did speak out early on this issue and seemed to speak clearly

Yet, this teaching was not fully taught by the clergy

While being apologetic that the Church did not do more, at the same time, we should defend what she did do.

Reflection Question

Has your opinion on the Church and slavery changed? How?

Catholics in the Civil War

Majority in the North, minority in the South

In general, Catholics joined with the side their state supported

Union army: 145,000 Irish Catholics served

Catholics at War

40 priests served as chaplains with the Union army and 30 with the Confederate armies

500 sisters left their work to become nurses

Catholics at War

Conclusions

Again, Catholics distinguished themselves by their bravery

Integrated the Irish into the fabric in America

At the end of the war, the Church faced a new problem: 3 million newly freed slaves

Until Next Week...