Jesuit missionaries, like Father Ferdinand Farmer, rode horseback deep into the colonial frontier to celebrate Mass with isolated pockets of Catholics. But because of entrenched anti-Catholic laws, they had to be secret about it.
Catholic Patriots
America’s 250th: How a Group of Catholic Patriots Helped Shape the Birth of the U.S.
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.