What Parish Are You From?
a Chicago Irish community and race relations
Eileen M. McMahon
226 pages | ~6 hrs
What Parish Are You From?
a Chicago Irish community and race relations
By Eileen M. McMahon
Through the lens of one Chicago parish, this compelling study reveals how faith communities shape identity and navigate cultural transformation in urban America. Eileen M. McMahon examines St. Sabina's parish in Auburn-Gresham, tracing its evolution from a predominantly Irish Catholic stronghold to a thriving African-American spiritual community.
The book explores how parish life once served as the heartbeat of ethnic neighborhoods, providing Irish Americans with both sanctuary and strength in the face of Protestant-dominated society. McMahon demonstrates how anti-Catholic sentiment fostered tight-knit religious communities that offered protection and belonging, yet also created barriers to broader integration.
As Chicago's demographics shifted throughout the twentieth century, St. Sabina's became a microcosm of urban change. Despite progressive clergy who championed integration, white parishioners struggled with black migration into their neighborhood, ultimately choosing suburban relocation over adaptation. This resistance illuminates the complex relationship between faith, ethnicity, and social transformation.
The parish's remarkable transition offers profound insights into how spiritual communities both preserve tradition and adapt to change. McMahon's case study reveals the intricate ways religious identity intersects with racial and ethnic consciousness, showing how congregations navigate the tension between maintaining cultural heritage and embracing evolving demographics.
This thoughtful examination provides valuable perspective on faith's role in community building, cultural preservation, and the ongoing challenge of creating inclusive spiritual spaces in diverse urban environments.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Case studies
- ✓ Explore Chicago (ill.), social conditions
- ✓ Explore Irish Americans
- ✓ Explore Geschichte
- ✓ Explore Irischer Einwanderer
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Parishes
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
Topics
Details
- Published
- 1995
- Publisher
- University Press of Kentucky
- ISBN-10
- 0813118778
- Pages
- 226
- Language
- EN
- LC Classification
- BX4603.C5 S785 1995
