Charleston SC Bishop on State of Catholicism in US 1833

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Charleston SC Bishop Describes Catholicism in US 1833 Sixth volume of the Berichte der Leopoldinen-Stiftung im Kaiserthum Oesterreich , published in Vienna, 1833. 55-page pamphlet in original printed wraps, 33 x 20 cm (5 x 8 inches), two double-sided fold-out charts, small stains on covers, otherwise remarkably fresh condition. The Leopoldinen-Stiftung (Leopoldine Society) was founded in Vienna in 1829 to encourage financial and moral support in the Austro-Hungarian Empire for Roman Catholic missionary efforts in North America. The impetus came from Bishop Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati, Ohio, who sent his vicar-general, Frederick Resé, on a trip to Europe in 1827 to raise money and recruit priests for North American missions. The Society functioned in a fashion similar to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in France (and to American Protestant mission organizations as well), collecting small donations from large numbers of parishioners throughout the Empire in order to provide missionary support. The Berichte [Reports] were essentially newsletters for contributors, providing news of the challenges and successes in the mission field to inspire more contributions. This sixth issue of the Berichte is devoted to a report on the situation and prospects of the Catholic Church in the United States from John England, Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina . Formally addressed to the Archbishop of Vienna in his role as head of the Leopoldine Society, it is essentially a fundraising document to raise large numbers of small donations from parishoners throughout the4 Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bishop England begins with a general history of Catholicism in the US and proceeds to an ccount of each of the ten dioceses: Baltimore (the sole archdiocese), Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Bardstown (Kentucky, presently the Diocese of Louisville), New Orleans, Charleston, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Mobile. For each he enumerates the geographical boundaries, the size and ethnic make-up of the population, the size and origin of the Catholic population in particular, the prospects for missions among marginalized populations (particularly Indians and free blacks), the history of Catholic institutions in the diocese, the prospects for educational and mission work, etc. In each diocese the real obstacle is the Protestant establishment , whatever its local form, and the means for overcoming that obstacle is more priests, more Catholic schools and more money. Particularly telling are the charts at the end: a listing of the non-Catholic "seminaries" in the United States, including their enrollments and library holdings; a listing of non-Catholic religious societies (mission boards, Bible societies, Sunday School unions, etc) with their annual incomes; a count of the American universities (11) and colleges (34) without a single Catholic on the faculty, with the total faculty size (287), enrollment (6074) and library holdings (235,500); a list of the Catholic colleges and seminaries with their adminstrating order and their enrollment. Bishop England's message is clear: more money for more schools to produce more priests and more Catholic elites. John England (1786-1842) was born and educated in Cork, Ireland, and early on weas involved in educating the poor and ministering to prison and asylum inmates. Consecrated the first bishop of Charleston in 1820 before ever setting foot in America, he took on this mission with zeal. Catholics were few and far between in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, and nativist sentiment ran strong. England traveled constantly throughout the region and labored to build a sense of community among its Catholics. He founded the first Catholic newspaper in the US, established schools for free children of color (both boys and girls), and was the first Catholic priest to address the US Congress (1826). , including more "Berichte." read more

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