28 - Roman Catholicism in America at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century

Summary

On the afternoon of Sunday, 5 November 1989, three hundred Roman Catholic bishops from around the United States gathered in Baltimore for a Mass to celebrate the bicentennial of their Church. It had been almost exactly two hundred years before, to the day, that Pope Pius VI had appointed John Carroll, a former Jesuit and the scion of an old Maryland family, as the first Catholic bishop for the recently independent colonies, thereby establishing the institutional presence of this ancient church in the new nation. The Church and the republic were the same age: Carroll had become a bishop just a few months after George Washington had become president. The landmark Catholic anniversary was observed with an extensive program that ran over several days: historical symposia, special performances by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, an exhibit of treasures from Vatican museums in the city’s Walters Art Gallery, and meetings with representatives of other faiths. The capstone of the commemoration was this special Mass, presided over by a Roman cardinal representing the current pope and conducted in the magnificent Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, built for Carroll by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, later the architect of the U.S. Capitol. Civic and political dignitaries filled the pews, together with Protestant ministers, Jewish rabbis, and parishioners. “The bicentennial,” said the just-retired archbishop of Baltimore, “is an occasion where we can project in a positive way the mission of the church” – “without triumphalism,” he felt compelled to add – “and recognize the contributions of the church to the people of the United States.” The mood of the day was at once solemn and festive, suitable for marking the progress of Catholicism in America over the preceding two centuries.