American Pilgrimage draws on the best of current scholarship to tell the story of the Catholic Church in the United States—from the dramatic efforts at evangelization in the colonial period, to the Catholic urban villages of the immigrant Church, to the struggles to live tradition in the late twentieth century. American Pilgrimage beautifully narrates this history using the Augustinian contours of the ongoing struggle between the City of God and the City of Man—a struggle that takes place between the Church and the world, within the Church herself, and within the soul of every Christian.

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Praise for American Pilgrimage:

“Christopher Shannon’s American Pilgrimage is a fascinating study of the lived experience of Catholicism during the over five centuries since the Gospels were first brought to the Americas. Shannon draws on his own profound learning and deep faith to examine the long and challenging journey of the Church from the days of Columbus and Juan Diego through to our own times. The book is notable for its honesty and insight in examining the complex tensions involved in living and spreading the Gospel in a sometimes hostile environment. Readers of this book will gain a rich appreciation of the endeavors of earlier generations of Catholics and, in the process, they will have their own commitment to serve as leaven in the world enriched.”
—Rev. Wilson D. Miscamble, C.S.C., Professor of History, University of Notre Dame, Author, American Priest: The Ambitious Life and Conflicted Legacy of Notre Dame’s Fr. Ted Hesburgh

“American Pilgrimage is an exciting and challenging new interpretation of United States Catholic history that will not be embraced by everyone. Shannon takes seriously the faith of his historical actors, giving faith a credibility and importance not found in other historical studies. His approach results in surprising and inspiring new insights. Can holiness be an historical category? Shannon explores the possibilities. Further, Shannon takes seriously the teaching authority of the Church and laments it has been manipulated or neglected by factions on both the right and the left. Shannon’s important new work may be considered controversial by some, but it should occasion deep and thoughtful reflection and discussion by all.”
—Jeffery M. Burns, Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture, University of San Diego

“Christopher Shannon offers readers a balanced and insightful survey of U.S. Catholic history. From the California missions to East Coast immigrant enclaves to suburban, post-Vatican II parishes, American Pilgrimage unfolds as an engaging and unified narrative with Catholics at the center of the national story. Shannon’s study is truly a pilgrimage, an enriching journey through time and place.”
—Fr. David J. Endres, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Cincinnati, Editor, U.S. Catholic Historian

“American Pilgrimage is a sweeping and authoritative historical survey of Catholicism in America from Columbus to the present. Shannon presents the highs and lows, the triumphs and failures, of the Catholic Church in an accessible style that will appeal to scholars and non-scholars alike. Thinking with the Church, Shannon provides a sympathetic but at the same time critical study of the Church in America.”
—Paul Baxa, Professor of History, Ave Maria University