Pilgrims to the Northland: The Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1840-1962
“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“The famed biographer of Archbishop Ireland puts his scholarly talent to work on this just-published history of this archdiocese that will, undoubtedly, be a classic.” —The Catholic Spirit“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“. . . 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“This massive narrative escapes the status of mere chronicle through its spirited style, its perceptive appraisal of its cast of (frequently Episcopal) characters, and its sense of the rootedness of ecclesiastical in social history.” —Church History“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 people, places, and events in the Archdiocese of St. Paul from the 1940s onward.” —American Catholic Studies