Militant and Triumphant: William Henry O'Connell and the Catholic Church in Boston, 1859-1944

This book aims to fill a gap in the historical record of American Catholicism by presenting a portrait of Cardinal William Henry O'Connell and his significance in the Church and in his times. It examines his cultural and symbolic leadership of New England's Catholic population, and describes O'Connell's role in defining American Catholicism as both "militant and triumphant"; asserting its cultural vision beyond narrow denominational boundaries into broader areas of public morality, and confident of its eventual triumph over secular standards.