America's Church : The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Catholic Presence in the Nation's Capital

Thomas Tweed demonstrates that the National Shrine provides a highly illuminating site from which to tell the story of Catholicism in the U.S. He organizes his narrative around six themes that, he contends, characterize American Catholicism: building institutions, mobilizing women, engaging children, contesting Protestants, claiming civic space, and incorporating immigrants.