The Catholic Philanthropic Tradition In America

Book Summary

From their earliest days in America, Catholics organized to initiate andsupport charitable activities. A rapidly growing church community, although markedby widening church and ethnic differences, developed the extensive network oforphanages, hospitals, schools, and social agencies that came to represent theCatholic way of giving. But changing economic, political, and social conditions haveoften provoked sharp debate within the church about the obligation to give, priorities in giving, appropriate organization of religious charity, and the locusof authority over philanthropic resources. This first history of Catholicphilanthropy in the United States chronicles the rich tradition of the church'scharitable activities and the increasing tension between centralized control ofgiving and democratic participation.

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