Ethan Walker
The history of the Catholic Church in the United States is a long and complex one, with Catholics first arriving in what is now the US in 1559. Spanish colonists, accompanied by Dominican priests, arrived in Pensacola, Florida, to offer the first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Spanish were the first Europeans to establish major settlements on the mainland of North America, with a royal grant issued in 1565 to colonize Florida. The Spanish named many settlements after Catholic saints, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe, which retain their names to this day. The Catholic population in the US grew through immigration, particularly from Europe, with Germans and Irish arriving first, followed by Italians, Poles, and Eastern Europeans from 1890 onwards. By 1900, America was producing a sufficient number of priests and nuns to sustain its Catholic population, which was primarily working-class until World War II. Today, the Roman Catholic Church is the second-largest religious grouping in the US, with 23% of the population identifying as Catholic as of 2018.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of first mass | 1559 |
| Year of first colony | 1565 |
| Percentage of Catholics in the population of the 13 colonies in 1776 | 1.6% |
| Number of Catholics in 1775 | 25,000 |
| Number of Catholics in 1789 | 35,000 |
| Number of Catholics in 1790 | 35,000 |
| Number of Catholics in 1820 | 195,000 |
| Number of Catholics in 1850 | 1.6 million |
| Number of Catholics in 1860 | N/A |
| Number of Catholics in 1890 | 12 million |
| Year when Catholics started surging in the US | 1840s |
| Year when Catholics became the country's largest denomination | 1850 |
| Year when the US took control of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba | 1898 |
| Year when the US became the fourth-largest Roman Catholic country | 2020 |
| Percentage of Catholics in the US as of 2018 | 23% |
| Percentage of Americans who identified as Roman Catholic in 2020 | 25% |
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What You'll Learn
Spanish colonisation in the 16th century
The Spanish Empire, also known as the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. It was one of the most powerful empires of the early modern period, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Europe. During the period of 1492–1832, it is estimated that around 1.86 million Spaniards settled in the Americas, with 250,000 of them settling in the 16th century.
In the early 1500s, the Spanish began to explore and establish permanent settlements in what is now the Southern United States. They claimed land for the crown in modern-day Alabama, Arizona, the Carolinas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, and California. Spanish explorers were in search of another Aztec or Inca empire, and in 1532, Francisco Pizarro found what he was looking for when he conquered the Inca Empire. This conquest facilitated the establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru in 1542, allowing Spain to exert control over territories in western South America, including present-day Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and parts of Chile and Argentina.
In 1521, Ponce de Leon attempted to establish a settlement near what is now Charlotte Harbor, Florida, but he was killed. Another failed attempt was made by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, who set out with around 500 colonists and established the settlement of San Miguel de Gualdape in modern-day South Carolina in 1526. In 1528, Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca landed on present-day Follet's Island, Texas. De Vaca was one of four survivors of that expedition, and he later wrote an account of it. In 1559, Tristán de Luna y Arellano established the first multi-year European settlement in the United States in Pensacola, Florida.
During the 16th century, most Spanish settlers came to the Americas as permanent residents, establishing families and businesses and seeking advancement within the colonial system. The Spanish Empire attempted to maintain a closed mercantile system, keeping wealth within the empire. However, in reality, the empire was porous, with widespread smuggling and illicit commercial activities. The economic conditions of the Spanish Empire gradually declined in the 16th and 17th centuries, as industrial development in France, the Dutch Republic, and England outpaced that of Spain.
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The American Revolution
The history of Catholicism in the colonies prior to the Revolution was often one of persecution and exclusion. In the mid-17th century, Catholics were outlawed in some colonies, barred from settling or holding public office, and Catholic priests were hunted and exiled. Maryland became a haven for Catholics in 1634, but even there, the Act of Toleration was repealed twice, and by the 18th century, Catholics were disenfranchised. New York had a more tolerant history, with a Catholic governor, Thomas Dongan, and other Catholic officials.
The Revolution also saw the involvement of numerous individual Catholics, both American and foreign. Charles Carroll, a wealthy Catholic landowner, was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and played a significant role in the revolutionary Congress and in crafting Maryland's constitution. Many foreign Catholic officers served in the American army or with the French allies, including Count Marquis de Lafayette, Casimir Pulaski, and Bernardo de Galvez, the Governor of Louisiana who prevented the state's seizure by the British.
After the Revolution, Rome created new arrangements for the American diocese under American bishops, and the number of Catholics in the United States began to grow, reaching 195,000 by 1820 and becoming the country's largest denomination by 1850. Immigration from Europe, particularly from Ireland, Germany, and other Catholic countries, contributed significantly to this growth. By the end of the 19th century, there were 12 million Catholics in the United States, and anti-Catholic laws were gradually being overturned, such as the First Amendment in 1890, which voided legislated anti-Catholicism.
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Immigration from Europe
Catholicism in America has a long and complex history, with the religion shaping the experiences of many Americans. The first Catholics arrived in what is now the United States in the 16th century, with Spanish and French colonists establishing settlements in Florida and the Midwest. These early colonies were often named after Catholic saints or symbols, with many places in modern-day California, Texas, New Mexico, and Florida bearing witness to this Catholic colonial history, such as San Francisco, San Antonio, and Santa Fe.
During the colonial period, the Catholic population in the Thirteen Colonies was small, forming only about 1.6% of the population by the time of the American Revolution. The Province of Maryland was an exception, founded in the 17th century with an explicitly English Catholic identity. However, in other colonies like Massachusetts, Catholics were barred from settling, and some colonies specifically excluded Catholics from voting. Despite this, the American Revolution brought freedom of religion, and the new nation had close ties with Catholic France.
After 1840, American Catholicism grew significantly through immigration from Europe, particularly from Germany and Ireland. During the mid-19th century, a wave of immigrants from Europe arrived, including from England and the Netherlands. After 1890, large numbers of Catholics from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italy, Poland, and Eastern Europe, immigrated to the United States. This influx of Catholics led to the establishment of an extensive Catholic infrastructure, with parishes, schools, colleges, hospitals, and charitable institutions.
The Catholic population in the United States continued to grow, reaching 12 million by the end of the 19th century and becoming the country's largest denomination. The population was primarily working class, but after World War II, Catholics increasingly moved into white-collar status and left the inner cities for the suburbs. While the number of priests and nuns declined after 1960, the Catholic population was sustained by immigration from Mexico and Latin America. Today, Catholicism is the second-largest religious grouping in the United States, after Protestantism, with about 23% of the population identifying as Catholic as of 2018.
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The Catholic school system
The history of Catholic schools in the United States dates back to the mid-16th century when Spanish and French missionaries and priests first arrived on the continent. The first official Catholic school was founded by the Franciscan order in present-day St. Augustine, Florida, in 1606. However, the number of Catholic schools remained small until after the American Revolution. In 1789, the first Catholic college in the United States was established at Georgetown in present-day Washington, D.C. The ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, with its First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of religion, further solidified the presence of Catholic education in the country.
During the 19th century, as the nation was predominantly Protestant, there was anti-Catholic sentiment due to significant immigration from Catholic countries, particularly Ireland, after the 1840s. This led to concerns among Catholics that exposure to Protestant teachers and students in public schools would result in a loss of faith for their children. In response, Catholics began establishing their own parochial school system, building elementary schools parish by parish, often with low-paid sisters as teachers. By 1900, there were an estimated 3,500 Catholic schools in the United States, and this number continued to grow.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Irish, who had significant control over the Church in the U.S., built a vast network of parishes and parish schools, particularly in the urban Northeast and Midwest. Polish Americans, who arrived in large numbers during this period, also contributed to the expansion of the Catholic school system, with nearly every Polish parish establishing a school.
While enrollment in Catholic schools peaked in the 1960s, with around 5 million students, it has since declined significantly. However, Catholic schools continue to play a significant role in the American education system, attracting international students and contributing to its diverse and international character.
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Anti-Catholic sentiment
In the colonial period, Catholics were barred from settling in some of the colonies, and several colonies specifically excluded Catholics from voting. Catholicism was outlawed in 1650, and Catholic priests were hunted and exiled. Although the Act of Toleration was reinstated in 1658, it was repealed again in 1689 by Puritans who barred Catholics from holding public office. During the American Revolution, Catholics formed only 1.6% of the population of the Thirteen Colonies.
Anti-Catholic literature in the mid-19th century portrayed Catholicism as a threat to family values, gender boundaries, and sexual norms. It singled out the celibacy of priests as a sin and a violation of the law of nature, claiming that celibate priests threatened the sexual purity of American women. This literature strengthened Protestant identity and established standards for sexuality.
In the 20th century, anti-Catholic sentiment did not disappear, but a new appreciation of Catholicism emerged, and the number of priests, brothers, and nuns decreased sharply. In 1960, John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president, breaking the Protestant monopoly on the White House. By 2020, Joe Biden became the second Catholic president, and his religious affiliation sparked little controversy.
In recent years, there has been a rise in anti-Christian violence, with at least 518 violent attacks on Catholic churches across 43 states since May 2020, including arson, vandalism, and assault. Between 2018 and 2024, there were 1,384 documented hostile acts against churches in America, representing an eightfold increase from five years prior.
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Frequently asked questions
The first Catholic Mass in what is now the United States was held in 1559 in Pensacola, Florida. Spanish colonists, led by Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano, were accompanied by five Dominican priests and a lay brother.
The Catholic population of the United States increased from 35,000 in 1790 to 195,000 in 1820 and then to about 1.6 million by 1850. By the end of the century, there were 12 million Catholics in the US.
As of 2018, 23% of the US population is Catholic, making it the country's second-largest religious grouping after Protestantism.
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