University of Notre Dame Press Pilgrims to the Northland: The Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1840-1962

This is the first narrative history of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, covering the years 1840 to 1962. Historian Marvin R. O'Connell brings to life the extraordinary labors and accomplishments of the French priests who came to the upper midwest territory during the first half of the nineteenth century. Over the next fifty years a flood of settlers, primarily Irish and German Catholics, filled up the land. In 1850 Rome created a new diocese centered in the village of St. Paul, and in 1851 French priest Joseph Cretin was named its first bishop.O'Connell's lively account stresses the social, economic, and political context in which the Catholic Church in Minnesota grew and evolved. He vividly illuminates the personalities of the bishops who followed Cretin, Thomas Grace (1859-84) and John Ireland (1884-1918). Ireland inherited a sophisticated system of churches, schools, orphanages, and hospitals, staffed by orders of religious men and women. Ireland built upon this legacy, founding colleges for men and women, a major seminary, and cathedrals in both St. Paul and Minneapolis. Ireland's successors, Austin Dowling (1919-30) and John Murray (1931-56), were not as colorful as Ireland, although Murray was immensely popular. William Brady is the final archbishop covered in this book, serving from 1956 to 1961 when he died unexpectedly from a heart attack. O'Connell ends his narrative in 1962, soon after the death of Archbishop Brady and a few months before the first session of Vatican II. Review " . . . historian Marvin R. O'Connell offers a detailed and engaging narrative of the institution that was integral to Catholicism in the Upper Midwest in the years before Vatican II. This big book is rich in stories of personalities, faith, struggle, and triumph." --Minnesota History" . . . Father O'Connell tells the history of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, emphasizing the social, economic, and political context in which the Catholic Church in Minnesota evolved. It begins with the labors and accomplishments o the French priests who arrived during the first half of the 19th century and continues through the death of Archbishop William Brady in 1961." --The Catholic Spirit". . . the volume illustrates the pivotal role of the Archdiocese of St. Paul regarding liturgy, social justice, and an ecclesiology at home in America. O'Connell's solid research, written in fascinating style and integrated into a larger vision, is a valuable addition to the study of Catholicism in Minnesota and beyond." --Theological Studies"In twenty-four splendidly written and researched chapters, the reader gains an appreciation for the human dimensions significant to the developing archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, not just an annotated biography of bishops and archbishops. . . . This captivating study of pioneer Catholicism also speaks with relevance to contemporary times, especially in areas of immigration, education, healthcare, social welfare and social change." --Catholic Library World"Marvin R. O Connell's sweeping Pilgrims to the Northland makes a strong case for the persistence of diocesan-level histories of U.S. Catholicism . . . . O'Connell demonstrates that what is now the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been not just a chilly northern outpost of immigrant Catholicism, but an important stomping ground for many of the American Church's most important figures . . . . [R]eaders could not do any better than a narrator like Father O' Connell--a Minnesota native and a history professor emeritus at Notre Dame. He has crafted an eminently readable tome, one that already begs for a sequel." --The Journal of Religion"O'Connell can always be counted on for a well-researched and well-written text--and this volume does not disappoint. What is truly delightful about this text is O'Connell's artistry with words--which he uses to breathe life and color into this history. O'Connell also deftly employs his own recollections of p