Friday, June 26, 2026
Feast of Saint Josemaria Escriva
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Next month we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. While Catholics were very few in number in North America back then, they did have a presence. In this seventh and final talk, we move a bit beyond 1776 which has been our focus. Instead, let us examine the process which led to the first Catholic bishop in the United States.
Talk #7: Bishop John Carroll
After American independence, the Catholic clergy in the United States, mostly former Jesuits, no longer wanted to be subject to the Bishop of London, England. Taking leadership, John Carroll wrote up a Plan of Organization in 1782 urging the ex-Jesuits to use their property holdings for the benefit of the American Church.
About 25 area clergy met at Whitemarsh in June and November of 1783 and produced documents regarding ecclesial governance, rules for clergy, and management of properties. They also requested of Rome that one of their number, Fr. John Lewis, be appointed superior of American clergy. This was their attempt to forestall the naming of a bishop and thus retaining their own control of the Church in America in spite of no longer being a community of Jesuits.
Meanwhile, Rome had already been seeking to regularize the American ecclesial scene. The Nuncio in Paris wanted the peace commission seeking the end of the American-British war to include some protection for Catholics. He also suggested a foreign bishop being sent to America subject, of course, to a veto by the American Congress. Benjamin Franklin was asked to inquire about all this with the Congress.
In January 1784, the French minister in Philadelphia replied to Rome that the Congress considered such matters beyond their scope and the responsibility of each of the states. Soon both the French minister and Franklin suggested John Carroll as superior since a foreigner would not be acceptable.
The appointment from Rome of June 9, 1784, included a reason for Carroll’s choice: “it is known that your appointment will please and gratify many members of that republic, and especially Mr. Franklin.” Carroll was asked to submit a report on the condition of the Church in America. The clergy were grateful but wrote to Rome denying a need for a bishop as this would raise objections by Protestants and that such an office would be expensive. Carroll accepted the appointment in February 1785 but noted that he, contrary to his brother priests, preferred a bishop to be named.
Carroll’s 1785 report noted the 9000 Catholic adults, 3000 children, and 3800 Catholic slaves all in Maryland, with about 7000 Catholics in Pennsylvania and 1500 in New York and scattered Catholics in the rest of the country. He warned of the danger of imprudent priests being sent to the country and yet saw that there were currently too few clergy at hand. Finally, convinced that a bishop would be helpful, the clergy in 1788 suggested that they be allowed to elect one of their members. It is very likely that the former Jesuits feared that new clergy coming to the United States would swamp their collective power or that a foreigner might not be open to restoring the Jesuits should that be allowed in the future.
Such permission was granted by Rome and in May 1789, at Whitemarsh, Baltimore was selected as the see of the diocese and Carroll was elected by a vote of 24 to 2. Appointed that November by Rome, Carroll was ordained bishop in England at Lulworth Castle by Bishop Walmesley on August 15, 1790. Thus began the long process of our ecclesial development in the United States of America.
This brings us to the end of these talks on Catholics and the American Republic. My deepest thanks to all of you for allowing me to celebrate with you our nation’s 250th anniversary by looking at our small but significant Catholic roots these past seven weeks. Soon, we will turn our attention to Marriage and Family and I look forward to walking that journey with you.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
P.S. Below is a video version of the above talk. Please feel free to share with family and friends. Thank you.