European Immigrants and the Catholic Church in Connecticut, 1870-1920

European Immigrants and the Catholic Church in Connecticut, 1870-1920, addresses the question: how does a predominantly Irish-American Church in Connecticut accommodate to the massive immigration of Southern and Eastern European Catholics during the four decades surrounding the 20th century (1880-1920)? This book describes episodes of conflict emanating from immigrant groups seeking equal status in the diocese; and elucidates the policies developed by the Bishops of Hartford to cope with the problem of integration. It concludes that the Diocese of Hartford achieved notable success in its attempts to address the problem. This is the only study, at the time of publication, of an American diocese which attempts to evaluate the policies of its leadership with respect to ethnic minorities. Also, this book is a first attempt to address the subject of ethnic Catholicism within an American Catholic diocese.