"Patrick Carey is one of the most distinguished scholars of the American Catholic intellectual history writing today."—William Portier, University of Dayton
"Balancing the papal, episcopal, and lay dimensions of the church and recognizing differences in roles and authority, Bishop John England's constructive ecclesiological vision is timely and provocative. Patrick Carey systematically exposes for the first time the unity between England's political experience in Cork, Ireland, and his knowledge of patristic, medieval, post-Tridentine and Gallican theological sources. This new edition from a historical theologian is a masterpiece of clarity and theological sophistication. As he has elsewhere, Carey here demonstrates once again the importance of founding theology and pastoral practice on exacting historical understanding. A must read for all those concerned with a movement beyond polarizations to a reassertion of an ecclesiology that takes synodality and the American experience seriously."—Joseph Chinnici, OFM, Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego
"There is a great deal to praise in this deeply researched, and clearly presented, study of the first bishop of Charleston, South Carolina. During his episcopal tenure (1820-1842), Bishop England became the foremost apologist, by word and deed, for a more complete, and unapologetic, Catholic participation and acceptance in the republic's public conversation and life. As Patrick Carey carefully demonstrates, England's ideas and activities, including the creation of a unique diocesan constitution, were parts of a coherent and well-considered integration of faith and culture. England's contributions to the perennial issues of the relationship of faith and culture, here the ancient faith and a democratic culture, offer, according to Carey, inspiration and perhaps direction for our own time."—Thomas Jodziewicz, University of Dallas
"Almost forty years ago, Patrick Carey first established himself as the authority on Bishop John England. This revised edition will reign for another generation, incorporating a ton of new research, especially about England's Irish origins. This extensive revision refines our understanding of England's theology and updates his significance within current research and debates about the Catholic Church in America. Bishop England's singular, innovative notions about church hierarchy, which borrowed heavily from republican institutions, 'incorporated priests and lay people into the pastoral governance and administration of his own diocese' to an extraordinary extent. Altogether, Carey makes a convincing case for bringing John England out of the darkness of neglect and into the light of contemporary debate."—Joseph P. Kelly, College of Charleston
