Section 3. The External and Internal Growth of Roman Catholicism (Cont.) (6)

The seventh Provincial Council of Baltimore serves as the closing point of the second period of extraordinary growth of Roman Catholicism in America. This growth took on particularly grand proportions beginning in the 1840s. European emigration poured forth in an unprecedented stream—hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholics arrived annually, seeking refuge on the soil of the New World from European upheavals. Roman Catholic settlements grew with monstrous rapidity. Once deserted regions now quickly filled with Catholic parishes. Parts of extensive dioceses became weighted down and required independent hierarchical administration. Hence we see throughout this decade an almost continuous process of the separation and formation of new bishoprics. A regular item in the decrees of each council at this time is the representation concerning the opening of new episcopal sees, so that their number more than doubled during this period. In 1840 there were sixteen (16) dioceses, and in 1850 there were already thirty-three (33).[1] The center of gravity of all these numerous hierarchical units long served as a single metropolitan diocese—Baltimore. All bishoprics constituted one province with Baltimore as metropolia at its head. But as time went on, individual dioceses became so weighted down that the center began to waver and the metropolia ceased to maintain equilibrium. Hence it became inevitable that among the bishoprics there should emerge such as by their importance came to equal the metropolia, established within themselves a center of gravity for the surrounding bishoprics, and eo ipso became in the position of metropolias. This process was already noticed by former councils and upon their representation two bishoprics, one after another, were raised to the dignity of archbishoprics, namely Oregon in 1846 and Saint Louis in 1847.[2] But this process found its complete juridical expression in the representation of the seventh council. The prelates were fully conscious of the stage the Church had reached and at which it required the localization of centers, and therefore made a representation concerning the opening of three new metropolias, with the transfer to them of the hierarchical rights of the primary metropolia of Baltimore. The representation was approved by papal decree of July 19, 1850, and thus by the beginning of a new decade the Roman Catholic Church consisted of six metropolitan provinces, with metropolitan sees in the principal centers of the country: Baltimore, Oregon, Saint Louis, New York, Cincinnati, and New Orleans.[2]

With the opening of the new metropolias, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States entered a new phase of its development. It ceased to be a province, as it had been heretofore, and became a national Church, insofar as that term denotes its spread throughout the whole country, with independent administrative centers. The new position required intensified organizing activity. The new metropolitans formed councils in their respective provinces to discuss the needs of their provincial churches. But the private activity of individual metropolitans required general guiding principles on the basis of which particular measures could be developed and implemented. Such principles had not yet been worked out. The guiding decrees worked out at the Provincial Councils of Baltimore no longer satisfied the needs, as these decrees had essentially a private provincial character and their jurisdiction did not extend to the new metropolias, which had received equal rights with Baltimore to jurisdiction in their provinces. A higher organ of church jurisdiction was required. Such an organ could only be a general national council, and indeed in 1852 this general council was convened, receiving the name of the first Plenary Council (Primum Plenarium Concilium), which consisted of all the prelates of the country. The place of the council was chosen to be the historic cradle of Roman Catholicism in America—Baltimore, and it consisted of six archbishops or metropolitans and twenty-six bishops.[3] The life of the Church was so organized and presented such bright hopes for the future that the prelates of the council did not need to work out any special radical decrees, and they, establishing on the basis of former councils general guiding principles for the metropolias, limited themselves to only a few decrees concerning other aspects of church life. Thus they with special insistence confirmed the necessity of establishing Catholic schools to isolate the Catholic population from the influence of Protestantism, and solemnly condemned secret societies, especially Freemasonry, which was spreading rapidly in America.[3] Then they proposed for approval the opening of several new dioceses, and the elevation of San Francisco in California to the dignity of a metropolia,[4] “If there were here,” considers a Catholic historian in this connection necessary to observe, “questions about dignities made attractive by honor, power or the riches of the earth, we could see in this development of the episcopate human bases and motives of ambition. But in the United States the mitre is only a terrible burden, without any of the consolations that lighten it in other places; and the prelates are only honorable paupers, always extending their hands for daily bread, for means to erect those modest walls that form their cathedrals and churches. A new bishop must create everything; he finds only a few priests scattered here and there, altogether insufficient for a country where emigration periodically brings throngs of Irish and German Catholics, who must be protected, and still more children, who must be guarded from the temptations of error. He must build churches and dwellings, establish a seminary and schools, and confirm the faithful in the truth; gather around himself brothers and communities of sisters, ensure by continuous labor the means of sustenance for these co-workers, perpetually travel by horse or on foot, in snow or in rain, preach at all hours, without rest hear confessors, visit the sick and everywhere oversee the preservation of the sacred treasure of faith and morality. Such is the life of an American prelate appointed to establish a new diocese—a life of physical exhaustion, like that of the humblest missionary, with all the responsibility of a bishop. Most often such duties are accepted through obedience by one whom the holy seat considers sufficiently courageous to undertake them; and the new diocese soon witnesses the rise of churches and monasteries, the increase of clergy and the presence of a priest in the latest settlements alongside the pioneer. Such is the history of religion in America from the beginning of this century, and the future promises that, contrary to the trials of the last few years, this development will not cease.”[5]

But however great the burdens of the actual service of the prelates of the Roman Catholic Church, they were not visible to the outside world. It saw instead only a brilliant assembly of prelates and naturally assumed behind it a strong organization with all the advantages and hopes of power. The Protestant world, giving full freedom to its enemy Roman Catholicism to develop and grow on the soil of the New World, did not suppose in it that power which it had managed to unfold in half a century. Now it saw its error. Roman Catholicism was growing daily into a powerful organization before which the fragmented Protestantism involuntarily felt its weakness. Consciousness of weakness often leads to fanaticism. Protestantism had always been fanatical toward Roman Catholicism in America from the very beginning of American history. Political circumstances suppressed this fanaticism and even legally killed it. But actually it continued to live and upon every opportunity showed its fiery tongue. When in the early 1840s Roman Catholicism began to grow especially rapidly from the emigration that surged in at that time, Protestantism was alarmed. Considering America its property, Protestantism saw with horror how Catholic emigration was spreading the hated faith throughout the country. Its dormant fanaticism awakened and, sustained by the spirit of narrow native exclusivity, according to which America exists only for Americans,[6] turned into open hostility not only toward Roman Catholicism but toward all foreign, immigrant elements. In the 1840s a party of “Nativism” formed, which waged fierce agitation against emigrants in general and Catholics in particular. In Philadelphia this movement expressed itself in open rioting by crowds, which burned Roman Catholic churches and plundered monasteries.[7] The movement was ominous and although it did not assume particularly large proportions at that time, it nevertheless made known what fierce fanaticism lives in the heart of Protestantism.

Having vented its first outbursts of rage, Protestant fanaticism quieted for a time and the Nativism movement ceased, only to burst forth again at the first convenient opportunity. The opportunity was not long in coming. Roman Catholicism continued to grow and develop, the immigrant Catholic population multiplied annually by hundreds of thousands, and the church organization declared itself with ever greater splendor in the increasing councils of prelates. The first national council was a brilliant expression of the high phase of Roman Catholicism’s development in the country, which it had achieved in an incredibly short time, and this success of the mortal enemy could not fail to wound Protestant jealousy and embittered zeal. Fanaticism awakened again and awaited only a spark for ignition. The spark came from the visit to the United States by a papal nuncio. In 1853 the Pope, wishing to demonstrate his interest in the growth of Roman Catholicism in America, sent one of his most famous representatives, Archbishop Bedini, papal nuncio in Brazil, to visit the United States, furnishing him with his own personal letters of recommendation and credentials to the President in Washington.[8] The nuncio was cordially received by the President, Pierce, and made a solemn review of the Roman Catholic Church in various cities and localities of the country.[9] This journey of the papal nuncio was the spark that ignited fanaticism, especially since America at that time had accumulated much combustible, purely political material. The European revolutions of 1848 had driven to America whole gangs of German and Italian revolutionaries. They were the first to begin agitation against the nuncio of the hated papacy, and with the well-known Italian reformer Gavazzi at their head began to pursue the nuncio on his heels, inciting popular passions against him as a mortal enemy of the American republic and freedom. The nuncio went west and the revolutionaries followed him. Catholics everywhere enthusiastically received the envoy of the “Vicar of Christ,” and this only further inflamed the malice of the enemies. Not yet succeeding in arousing public opinion, the Italian revolutionaries called upon German infidels settled in the western states for aid. The German press thundered curses upon the nuncio[10] and succeeded in rousing the fanaticism of the mob. On one evening a crowd of five hundred people intended to attack the house in which the nuncio was staying. A strong police patrol met the crowd, a bloody clash occurred, in which eighteen men were killed.[11] The rioters could not withstand it and scattered.