“By providing numerous case studies of ordinary, often-overlooked people who made unique as well as representative contributions to forming, transforming, and connecting individuals, institutions, and local communities during a period of intense nation building, this collection deepens and broadens our understanding of American history from 1814–2014. The volume demonstrates that studying US Catholicism is not an intramural exercise of filiopietistic apologists but a crucial contribution of serious scholarship to gain a better understanding of the USA. All serious students of US history will profit from the fine bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Specialists will find much helpful information to prompt their further questions and suggest creative research projects. Those who planned and executed this project deserve many thanks.” James Grummer, S.J. (Pontifical Gregorian University). In: Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, Vol. 87, Fasc. 173 (2018-I), pp. 151–154.