Two-part harmony

American Catholics and Civic Engagement

A Distinctive Voice

Edited by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels

Rowman and Littlefield. 281p $75 (hardcover) $29.95 (paper)

ISBN 07425315989 (hardcover) 0742531597 (paper)

American Catholics and Civic Engagement is the first of two volumes published by American Catholics in the Public Square, a three-year project funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Peter Steinfels' introduction sketches the historical background behind the ongoing struggle of Roman Catholics to define themselves as both loyal Americans and faithful members of the church universal. For much of their experience in the United States, the "American" part of the equation proved ...