Organization of the Spiritual Life: American Catholic Devotional Works, 1791–1866

Abstract

O OF the dominant characteristics of American Catholic life from 1791 to 1866 was the search for unity through ecclesiastical discipline—the desire for a uniform adherence to ritual practices, patterns of religious behavior, and forms of prayer. It was presumed that a strict observance of universal norms in communal and personal religious life would bind the small community into a coherent whole and unite it to the international ecclesial body. The period under consideration exhibited a progressively increasing emphasis on Church structures. The people of God, both clerical and lay, came to understand their life from the perspective of correct organization. This value both shaped and was encouraged by a particular approach to the spiritual life. Organization and uniformity were not only structural characteristics; they proceeded from the deepest religious needs of the people. The following essay will argue that the passage from a missionary to an immigrant church involved a definite religious sensibility. The devotional works of the period indicate that the journey from a condition of almost chaotic pluralism in forms of prayer and ritual practices to a position of relative stability presupposed a particular view of the person, the world, and the Church. After reviewing the general organizational trends, the article will examine this brand of spirituality.