American Catholic Experience

Jay P. Dolan was a Professor of History and Director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. He is now Professor Emeritus of History. Previous publications include The Immigrant Church: New York's Irish and German Catholics, 1815-1865, (Notre Dame Press, 1982) and Catholic Revivalism: The American Experience , 1830-1900 (Notre Dame Press, 1977).

"In this work, Dolan is concerned less with traditional institutional history—orders, bishops, churches—than with a broader social history of the Catholic experience itself. At the same time, he does not ignore structures and institutions, but seeks to place them within the context of Catholic life. Dolan's style is provocative and allows him to hold the reader's interest while providing endless material. This is a helpful volume which serves as an excellent introduction to Catholic experience in America." —Review and Expositor"For anyone interested in American Catholic history, Dolan's book is pivotal. The solid research and extensive citations make it a valuable teaching tool, while its solid writing makes the ideas easily accessible." —St. Anthony Messenger"The American Catholic Experience is a model of cogency, its every seam fastened by rivets of documentation. In it we see ourselves more clearly. This is what we ask from history, and here obtain." —The Recorder"This book ... will quickly capture your attention, and engage your mind, and make you think what it meant—and means—to be 'a Catholic in America.' This book cannot be 'recommended.' It must be labeled 'essential.'" —Spirituality Today