The Other Catholics: Remaking America’s Largest Religion

433 Pages·2016·11.09 MB·English

by  Julie Byrne

T h e
OT H E R
Cat holics
Remaking America’s Largest Religion
JULIE BYRNE
THE OTHER CATHOLICS
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Archbishop Richard Gundrey with new bishops (left to right) Patsy
Grubbs, Kera Hamilton, and Diana Phipps, Richmond, Va., October 16, 2005.
Courtesy of Daniel Dangaran.
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The
O T H E R
Catholics
Remaking America’s Largest Religion
JULIE BYRNE
Columbia University Press
New York
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Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup.columbia.edu
Copyright © 2016 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Th e author expresses appreciation to the Schoff Fund at the University
Seminars at Columbia University for their help in publication. Th e ideas
presented have benefi ted from discussions in the University Seminar on
Religion in America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Byrne, Julie, 1968– author.
Title: Th e other Catholics : remaking America’s largest religion / Julie Byrne.
Description: New York : Columbia University Press, 2016. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2015044785 | ISBN 9780231166768 (cloth : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780231541701 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Independent Catholic churches—United States. | Catholic
Church—United States—History—21st century.
Classifi cation: LCC BX4794.2.U6 B97 2016 | DDC 284/.8—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044785
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent
and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover design: Jordan Wannemacher
Cover image: Courtesy of Susan Collins
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For Glenton
• • •
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She will hold the position of preeminence. I will hold the
position of Patriarch, which will have second place to her.
—Herman Spruit, founder of the Catholic Apostolic Church
of Antioch–Malabar Rite, announcing the elevation of Meri Spruit
to presiding matriarch in April 1990
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CONTENTS
• • •
List of Illustrations xi
Acknowledgments xiii
INTRODUCTION: OTHER CATHOLICS 1
PART I. CATHOLIC
1. WEEPING AND WOO-WOO:
OBSERVING INDEPENDENT CATHOLICISM IN AMERICA 27
PART II. SUCCESSION
2. MISSION AND METAMORPHOSIS:
NARRATING MODERN CATHOLIC HISTORY 75
3. LOVE AND META-CATHOLICISM:
FOUNDING THE CHURCH OF ANTIOCH 125
PART III. SACRAMENTS AND SAINTS
4. DANCE AND BALANCE: LEADING AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 179
5. MIX AND MYSTICISM: EXPERIMENTING WITH US CATHOLICISM 225
6. SACRAMENTS AND SAINTS: HEARING A NEW CALL 255
CONCLUSION: ALL CATHOLICS 287
Appendix: Independent Catholicism Survey 305
Notes 329
Primary Sources 387
Index 391
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