Saint Louis: The Story of Catholic Evangelization of America’s Heartland

Ep 60: The Lion and the Co Adjutor

This episode examines the painful final years of Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick’s long episcopacy and the troubled transition that followed his golden jubilee. Monsignor and Teresa recount the failed effort to secure Father Philip Brady as co‑adjutor, the resulting fracture among the clergy, and the personal toll it took on both men. As Kenrick’s health declined, Rome intervened by appointing Bishop John Joseph Kain, leading to an uneasy coexistence marked by silence, legal conflict, and wounded pride. The episode closes with the symbolic passing of authority, as the “Lion of the Fourth City” fades and a new, uncertain chapter begins for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Ep 2.59: Kenrick’s Golden Jubilee

This episode centers on the extraordinary fiftieth anniversary of Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick’s leadership in St. Louis, a milestone rarely seen in American Church history. Monsignor and Teresa recount how the jubilee celebrations became a flashpoint in the wider debate over immigration, Americanization, and cultural identity, with Monsignor Francis Goller delivering a powerful Latin address defending immigrants as a gift rather than a threat. The festivities—marked by speeches, music, parades, and public acclaim—revealed both the immense respect Kenrick commanded and the deep divisions still shaping the Church. As the celebrations close, the episode turns somber, recognizing that the aging archbishop’s strength was fading and that an uncertain transition lay ahead.

Ep 2.58: Monsignor Goller and the German Question

This episode takes a closer look at Monsignor Francis Salinas Goller, the long‑serving pastor of St. Peter and Paul in Soulard and one of the most influential priests in nineteenth‑century St. Louis. Monsignor and Teresa explore Goller’s decisive role at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, where his passionate advocacy for Catholic schools helped shape American parish life for generations. The discussion then turns to his leadership among German‑speaking clergy and his involvement in efforts to preserve language and culture amid rising fears of “Gahensleyism.” The episode sets the stage for the controversy that would bring these tensions to a head in St. Louis—and place Goller himself under suspicion.

Ep 2.57: Gahensleyism and the Question of Assimilation

This episode examines the late‑nineteenth‑century debate over immigration, language, and Catholic identity through the controversy known as the Lucerne Memorial or “Gahensleyism.” Monsignor and Teresa explore how proposals for national parishes and language‑based clergy alarmed American bishops who feared the fragmentation of the Church and the weakening of American civic unity. The discussion highlights Cardinal James Gibbons’s decisive role in defusing the crisis and articulating a vision of Catholic unity that welcomed immigrants while insisting on eventual assimilation. The episode concludes by bringing the debate home to St. Louis, setting the stage for renewed scrutiny of German‑language ministry and the career of Monsignor Francis Goller.

Ep 56: Americanization and the Immigrant Church

This episode explores the rising tension between immigrant Catholic communities and American‑born bishops who sought rapid assimilation in the late nineteenth century. Monsignor and Teresa examine how memories of anti‑Catholic violence and nativist attacks shaped the bishops’ determination to “Americanize” newcomers before xenophobia could resurface. The discussion focuses on growing suspicions toward German Catholics, especially amid disputes over episcopal appointments and parish autonomy in the so‑called “German Triangle.” Set against the Abelin Affair and other flashpoints, the episode reveals how fears of cultural fragmentation collided with immigrants’ determination to preserve language, faith, and identity.

Ep 2.55: Language, Loyalty, and the German Question

This episode examines the surge of parish foundations in the 1880s and the cultural tensions that accompanied a massive wave of European Catholic immigration. Monsignor and Teresa trace how German, Irish, Polish, and English‑speaking Catholics built churches and schools—often without resident priests for decades—revealing both deep faith and extraordinary sacrifice. The discussion explores how language, identity, and religious loyalty became inseparable for German Catholics shaped by the Kulturkampf, leading to tensions within a rapidly Americanizing Church. Set against rising nativism and Protestant competition, the episode shows how St. Louis struggled to balance unity and cultural preservation in an era of unprecedented growth.

Ep 2.54: Rebuilding After the Chicago Fire

This episode continues the story of St. Louis as a cradle of bishops by following its clergy into the devastation left by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Monsignor and Teresa recount how Bishop Thomas Foley—followed by Archbishop Patrick Feehan, both ordained in St. Louis—led Chicago’s Catholic community through an extraordinary period of rebuilding and expansion. The discussion highlights the surge of new parishes, religious communities, schools, and hospitals that rose from the ashes, alongside the creation of new dioceses across the Midwest. The episode then turns westward to founding bishops from St. Louis in Green Bay, Kansas City, Wichita, and Lincoln, revealing how pastoral leadership, cultural tensions, and even temperance debates shaped Catholic life on the frontier.

Ep 2.53: The Cradle of Bishops

This episode explores St. Louis’s extraordinary role as a formative center for Catholic leadership in the American heartland. Monsignor and Teresa trace how priests formed in St. Louis went on to shape dioceses across the Midwest, focusing on Dubuque and Chicago as prime examples of missionary growth, institutional building, and pastoral resilience. The discussion highlights figures such as Bishops Loras, Smith, Hennessy, Vander Velde, O’Regan, and Duggan—men whose successes and struggles reveal both the promise and fragility of frontier Catholicism. The episode concludes with the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, setting the stage for the Church’s remarkable work of rebuilding in the years to come.

Ep 2.52: Parks, Progress, and the Exodusters

This episode surveys the vibrant and often overlooked developments of 1870s St. Louis, from the creation of Forest Park and Tower Grove Park to early experiments with air cooling and the dramatic debut of the telephone. Monsignor and Teresa explore how civic pride, technological innovation, and public leisure reshaped the city’s landscape during a decade often dismissed as uneventful. The conversation then turns to the largely forgotten story of the Exodusters—thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans who passed through St. Louis seeking freedom and opportunity in the West—and the extraordinary relief efforts led by Black St. Louisans and civic leaders. Together, these stories reveal a city grappling with progress, inequality, and compassion at a pivotal moment in its history.

Ep 2.51: Schools, Socialism, and Father James Henry

This episode explores the aftermath of the Great Strike of 1877 as socialist politics in St. Louis shift from the streets into the classroom. Monsignor and Teresa examine the Working Men’s Party’s push for control of the public school system, debates over high schools, kindergartens, free textbooks, and the growing conflict with Catholic education. At the center of the story is Father James Henry, a formidable Irish priest whose quiet political strategy fractured the socialist coalition and redirected Irish Catholic loyalty back toward parochial schools and the Democratic Party. The episode reveals how education—not labor—became the decisive battleground that shaped St. Louis politics and Catholic identity for generations.