TO1004  THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: THEMATIC AND THEOLOGICAL STUDY (A.Y. 2023/2024)

• Accademic Unit

  Faculty of Theology

• Course

  Baccalaureate in Theology , Baccalaureate in Missiology, Baccalaureate in History and Cultural Heritage of the Church

Objectives : At the end of the course students will have sufficient knowledge of the Catholic Church in the United States to appreciate “her multicultural origins and ecumenical context.” ( Program of Priestly Formation, USCCB). They will be able to use Church history as an instrument in their pastoral work, and appreciate the role of history in forming community identity and forming values. They will also acquire some skills at critically reading and evaluating secondary source histories.

Contents: As an introduction to the history of the Catholic Church in the United States (and to some extent Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean basin), we will look at the origins of the Church in the first evangelization of the regions, focusing on Spanish, French, and English efforts to colonize as well as propagate the faith. It will move through the period of revolution and early independence and the themes of Church and State particular to the new US Republic, it will then move into the major themes in US history before arriving at the US Church in the time of the Second Vatican Council. The development of Catholic education and Catholic health systems (and the role of women’s religious congregations in these endeavors) and other charitable activities will be another theme. Various immigrant movements will be studied with an eye towards discerning patterns of accommodation and integration into the cultural fabric of the US. Attention will also be given to regional and state histories of the Church in order to note the different cultures that emerged in various parts of the US over history. While key figures (John Carroll, John England, et. al.) will be studied, the emphasis will be on social and institutional histories.
Methodology: The course will include lectures but also class discussions based on previous reading and occasional student presentations.

Means of evaluation : In addition to class participation (discussions and presentations), there may be occasional weekly quizzes, three summaries of articles, and one comparative book review (at least two books).

• Information
• Teachers
• Lesson schedule/Room
• Bibliography
• Calls

Information

• Semestre: 2° Semestre
• ECTS: 3

Teachers

Mark Andrew LEWIS

Lesson schedule/Room

Semester	Day	From	To	Room	Floor	Building	Notes
2° Semestre	Martedì	10.30	11.15	L306	3	Lucchesi
2° Semestre	Martedì	11.30	12.15	L306	3	Lucchesi

Bibliography

• Hennesey, J., American Catholics: A History of the Roman Catholic Community in the United States, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1981. The American Catholic Historical Review will also be an important source.
  

Calls

Date	Hours	Room	Exam	From Letter	To Letter	Note
Jun 3, 2024	.	.	Homework	A	Z	La data è indicativa, per la consegna dell'elaborato rispettare le scadenze e modalità previste.