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Title: Dream by the river; two centuries of Saint Louis Catholicism, 1766-1967 by William Barnaby Faherty ISBN: 0-88273-213-7 Publisher: Piraeus Pub. Date: 1973 Format: Unknown Binding

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)

Rating: 5
Summary: A Dream to Cherish
Comment: For anyone interested in the history of Catholicism in St. Louis, "Dream by the River" is the book to read. From the founding of the city to most recent time, Fr. Faherty tells the story which truly is a continuing dream by the River.

Beginning with the early intermittent clerical visits, the story builds through colonial times to the development of a stable and growing Catholic community in the new republic. Throughout this book, Faherty acquaints the reader with not only the history of Catholicism, but he also shows how the Church affected the community as a whole as well as the contributions of the Church in St. Louis to the national and universal churches. Much of the book is organize into chapters in which the stories of the succession of bishops are told. Other chapters deal with various other themes in the history of the local church.

St. Louis has been blessed with a series of good shepherds. The first bishop to call St. Louis home, Bishop Louis DuBourg of Louisiana, got St. Louis started on the road to religious prominence by establishing his see in St. Louis, rather than the more likely City of New Orleans. Too much of an impractical idealist to be well suited for service on the frontier, DuBourg nevertheless made important contributions through the utilization of his European contacts to attract the first of many religious who would contribute so much to St. Louis from DuBourg's time to the present day. His service to St. Louis concluded, DuBourg was appointed to a diocese in France.

The first bishop of St. Louis, Joseph Rosati, was a much more practical builder who raised his diocese on the foundations laid by DuBourg. During his stewardship (1827-43) the recruitment of European religious communities continued to contribute to the city. Among the challenges which Rosati confronted was the rise of anti-Catholicism during the Know-Nothing movement as well as the problems arising from the immigration of new ethnic and religious groups. His greatest brick and mortar legacy is the Old Cathedral in downtown St. Louis in which he is now buried.

The century following Rosati's tenure was dominated by two giants, Peter Kenrick and John Cardinal Glennon. Kenrick, the first Archbishop of St. Louis, led his archdiocese from 1843-1895. During his tenure St. Louis passed from being a frontier town, through Civil War to become one of the leading cities of the nation. Adopting a policy of strict neutrality while shepherding a divided city, the only statement which Kenrick issued about the Civil War was one calling for moderation.

It was during the First Vatican Council that Kenrick took his place as one of the leading churchmen of the English speaking world, being one of the leading opponents of the definition of the doctrine of Papal Infallibility. Thereafter he submitted to the definition, but spoke of the issue never again.

The Twentieth Century Giant was John Cardinal Glennon, Archbishop. 1903-1946. A leading national religious figure, it was Glennon who built the current Cathedral Basilica and as a beloved leader who presided over the expansion of the church over the first half of the century.

The next Archbishop, Joseph Cardinal Ritter, was to make his mark through his advancement of racial integration, the expansion of church facilities to meet the needs of the growing suburbs after World War II and through his role as a leading figure of the Second Vatican Council.

Father Faherty also chronicles the contributions of the more recent Archbishops, John Cardinal Carberry and John L. May.

The story of a church is not just the story of its bishops. Fr. Faherty does an excellent job of weaving the contributions of the various individuals, lay and clerical, organizations and parishes into the story of the church as a whole.

I must admit to one disappointment. In the original edition of the book, the index contains a listing for my high school. When I anxiously looked for the entry, I was shocked to find that it was not in book. The most recent edition still has the listing in the index, but no reference on the indicated page. It is a small thing, but high schools are important in St. Louis.

"Dream by the River" is a book to read and reread. It is a book to keep close at hand for reference whenever a question about the history of St. Louis Catholicism arises. Most of all, it is a book to cherish.