Here’s a musical riddle for America’s 250th anniversary: What patriotic anthem was written as a prayer by a Jewish Broadway composer, made the pop charts five times by three different Catholic artists, and inspired a legendary folk singer to write his own heartfelt ballad about America? The song is “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin.
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, The Tablet is looking at the proud history of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Namely, the different ethnic groups that make up the “Diocese of Immigrants.”
Charles Carroll, born in 1737, never lived in New York City. Yet, a street, a park, and a neighborhood are all named for him in Brooklyn.
The harsh treatment of colonial Catholics in the 17th and 18th centuries stemmed from the Protestant Reformation starting 1517 in Europe. But that began to change during the American Revolution.
If you attend a Memorial Day ceremony this year, chances are you will hear “On Eagle’s Wings,” which is based on the text of Psalm 91. Written by liturgical theologian and composer Father Michael Joncas, “On Eagle’s Wings” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Despite being a small percentage of the population in the original 13 colonies, Catholics played a crucial role in the Revolutionary War and the birth of the new nation.
The Catholic history of the Mid-Atlantic offers a particularly revealing case. In New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, Catholic life took shape unevenly, shaped as much by law and political culture as by migration and missionary effort.
The Class of 1976 of Sacred Heart School returned to see the time capsule they buried for America’s Bicentennial 50 years ago unearthed. Today’s students are burying their own time capsule to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.
Knights of Columbus members in Queens are reminding their fellow citizens that God should be a part of the nation’s birthday bash.
With the nation’s 250th birthday fast approaching, Catholics can mark the occasion by reflecting on the contributions of American saints.
