TMHC7179 · Theology and Ministry

History of Western Christianity III: Catholicism from the French Revolution to Vatican II

Clough School of Theology and Ministry

What John OMalley, S.J. calls the Churchs "long nineteenth century," from the French revolution to the 1950's, although often considered a period of secularization, was also a great age of renewal for the Roman Catholic Church. It witnessed a tremendous institutional growth of the Church, the assertion of doctrinal and administrative control from Rome known as ultramontanism, the flowering of spirituality and devotional life, and the spread of the faith from Europe throughout the world by means of extensive missionary activity. This course will consider the institutional and intellectual transformation of the Church in the nineteenth century, but will also pay close attention to changes in popular piety and the social role of the Church. Focus will be both topical and regional.