At the O’Neill Library, a display providing information about the past 200 years of Catholicism in Boston stole the glances of passersby at the beginning of February. Inspired by the book of essays Two Centuries of Faith: the Influence of Catholicism on Boston: 1808-2008, the exhibit aimed to evaluate the Catholic influences on Boston through four media: Parish Life, Diversity, Leadership, and Women in the Church.

In the Parish Life section, there stood a separate case that held “a sampling of titles from pamphlets, brochures, and publications” that exemplified the way in which parishioners used to turn to the Church to learn information and obtain advice about subjects related to, and different from, religion. Easily accessible to those who attended church, these pamphlets “represent a time when Bostonians and most Catholics went to the Church to seek answers to their questions.”

The collection of titles included “Which Way? A Discussion of Racial Tensions,” “The Sin of Anti-Semitism,” “Facing the Problems of our Times,” “The Facts of Death,” “Women in Wartime,” “Prayers for Self and Society,” and “The ABC’s of Responsible Parenthood.”

Also a part of the Parish Life segment was a typed paragraph accompanied by black and white pictures of parishioners coming together in the larger display case. Not only a place to practice Catholicism, the parish “was also the place where Catholics went for Scout meetings, CYO dances, adult socials, and parish bazaars.” Clearly, the parish has developed into a true community, a Catholic’s “natural extension of their home and family.”

The Diversity section of the large display case described the evolution over the last two centuries of the Catholic Church into a diverse, accepting community. According to the text in the display, the number of African Americans living in Boston grew notably after World War II, and as a result, church leaders tried “to assimilate black Catholics into the archdiocesan structure.”

However, “the struggle over school desegregation during the 1960s and the bitter busing crises of the 1970s” created difficulty for the church leaders and delayed the complete success of their efforts. By the 1980s, immigrants were flocking to Boston in throngs, thus transforming “the racial and ethnic makeup of the Boston archdiocese.”

The narrative in the display on Leadership emphasized the importance of having strong, experienced Catholic leaders in the church to make “critical decisions concerning the parishes, schools, and social service agencies of the Church.” The first bishop of Boston, having been appointed in 1808, has only been followed by nine bishops and archbishops.

Though there have been few of them, the bishops and archbishops of Boston have all had different personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and conceptions of the job, each possessing a different mix of qualities that aided in successful leadership. Not only do the challenges and triumphs of each leader give insight into the past, but also they “mark out a path to the future, as the Church of Boston faces new challenges in its third century.”

The final subset of the display case, Women in the Church, explained the steady growth of a woman’s rights and power in the Church. As the 20th century set in, the Catholic women of the Church “had become successful literary figures, recognized scholars and theologians, and founders of colleges for women, community leaders, parish organizers, and successful fundraisers for charitable programs.” Additionally, laywomen gained more responsibility within the Church during the years after Vatican II.

Though the text contained by the display proved valuable on its own, it was flanked above by pictures as well as intriguing artifacts from the Burns Library’s Liturgy and Life Collection.

The black and white pictures included those of St. Madeleine, Sister Ann Alexis, Mercy Sister Mary Frances Conway, and several candid shots of parishioners eating meals and socializing together.

Beautifully preserved and delicately arranged, the artifacts consisted of a Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin, a Sick Call set, a skullcap of Pope Pius XII, a Biretta, and three pins, the first representing the Holy Name Society, the second representing the Solidarity devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the third representing the altar servers. Incredibly, these treasures are all contained at the Burns Library at Boston College.

The ideas discussed in the “Two Centuries of Faith” essays that were edited by University Historian Thomas H. O’Connor framed the information provided in the O’Neill display. Throughout the last two centuries, innumerable changes have molded our country, an evolution that is incredibly clear when studying the Catholic Church and the way in which it has impacted the lives of Bostonians over the last 200 years.

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