James M. Woods. A History of the Catholic Church in the American South, 1513-1900

“If scholars are hoping for something jarring or provocative in these pages,” James M. Woods warns at the outset of his history of Catholicism in the American South, “they might be disappointed” (p. xiii). Elaborating on this curious qualification, the author explains that his book relies almost entirely on secondary sources. So he is not saying anything new per se, but as confessions go, this one belies Woods's ambitious project of narrating nearly four hundred years southern Catholic history. While specialists of any one topic covered by Woods might not learn anything new, the same scholars will appreciate how the author assembles this sweeping history. Moreover, any shortcomings—or “sins of omission”—in the book are less a reflection of Woods's editorial decisions and research and more an indictment of the historiography. In part one, “The Colonial Context, 1513–1763,” Woods surveys the Spanish, French, and English experiences in the colonial South. He tells of the Spanish Franciscans who accompanied explorers and established missions with hopes of converting Native Americans. Woods carefully notes the complicated nature of mission work, as European and Indian moral, political, and social norms frequently conflicted, sometimes leading to violence. He also contrasts the decline of Catholic presence in Florida and Texas with the healthy and enduring Catholic culture of Louisiana and Maryland. Here and throughout the book, Woods brings Maryland forthrightly into the story. While not part of what would become the Confederacy, Woods argues that Maryland was instrumental in shaping southern Catholicism.

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