CENTRAL THEMES IN THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES

This essay suggests and analyzes six themes that the author concludes are crucial both in understanding the past course of events in the Catholic Church of the United States and that may well shape its future. These themes involve 1) the nature and effectiveness of the Catholic sub-culture over time, 2) the issue as to which source of authority the Catholic people have historically deferred; 3) how the Catholic Church and people have related to the central American value of individualism, itself under constant revision; 4) the institutionalized dissent which overtook much of the Catholic organizational infrastructure from the mid-1960s onwards; 5) the revitalizing possibilities for the Catholic Church regarding the recent massive Hispanic immigration and 6) the reasons for the historic failure of the Catholic Church to effectively evangelize among the black African American population and some suggestions to reverse the situation.