History of the Catholic Church in the United States

The Catholic Church in the United States began in the colonial era, but by the mid-1800s, most of the Spanish, French, and Mexican influences had demographically faded in importance, with Protestant Americans moving west and taking over many formerly Catholic regions. Small Catholic pockets remained in Maryland, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana, but scarcely anywhere else.

However, after 1840, American Catholicism grew through immigration from Europe, especially from Germans and Irish. After 1890, Catholic immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe arrived in large numbers. The Church set up an elaborate infrastructure, based on local parishes organized into dioceses run by bishops appointed by the pope. Each diocese set up a network of schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable institutions.

Many priests and nuns arrived from France and Ireland. By 1900, America was producing a sufficient supply of priests and nuns. The Catholic population was primarily working-class until after World War II when it increasingly moved into white-collar status and left the inner city for the suburbs. After 1960, the number of priests and nuns fell rapidly and new vocations plunged. However, the Catholic population was sustained by a large influx from Mexico and Central America.

As the Catholic colleges and universities matured, questions were raised about their adherence to orthodox Catholic theology. After 1980, the Catholic bishops became involved in politics, especially on issues relating to abortion and sexuality.

In the 2014, the Religious Landscape Survey published by the Pew Research Center, 20.8% of Americans identified themselves as Catholic.^[1] By 2016, more Catholics (owing to their numbers) had college degrees (26% of 70 million) and earned over $100,000 (36% of 70 million) than any other religious group.^[2]