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Founding Father: John J. Wynne, S.J., and the Inculturation of American Catholicism in the Progressive Era

Lombardo, Michael F.

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, Theology.
The dissertation explores the life and work of John J. Wynne, S.J. (1859-1948). Widely recongized as an editor, educator and historian, Wynne was among the foremost Catholic intellectuals of the early twentieth century. In addition to serving as founding editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia (1907) and the Jesuit periodical America (1909), Wynne was vice-postulator for the canonization causes of the first American saints, the Jesuit Martyrs of North America, and for St. Kateri Tekakwitha. He was also a founding member of a number of important early twentieth century professional organizations, including the American Catholic Historical Association, the National Catholic Education Association, the American Federation of Catholic Societies, and the National Catholic Welfare Council's Bureau of Education. The dissertation explores Wynne's contribution to the American Catholic intellectual tradition. In particular, it explores the ways in which Wynne used the Catholic Encyclopedia and America to negotiate American Catholic identity during the Progressive Era. Using a lens of theological inculturation, the dissertation argues that Wynne presented an alternate version of social reform rooted in a distinctly neo-Scholastic vision of society, a vision that enabled him to champion Catholic participation in American culture, critique the culture for its weaknesses, and successfully avoid the theological controversies of Americanism and Modernism. The dissertation concludes that Wynne's legacy, which was animated by intellectual concerns characteristic of the Society of Jesus, was part of a much broader flowering of early twentieth century American Catholic intellectual thought that made him a key forerunner to the mid-century Catholic Revival.
William Portier, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Michael Carter, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Anthony Smith, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Sandra Yocum, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Patrick Carey, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
420 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lombardo, M. F. (2014). Founding Father: John J. Wynne, S.J., and the Inculturation of American Catholicism in the Progressive Era [Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1399037190

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lombardo, Michael. Founding Father: John J. Wynne, S.J., and the Inculturation of American Catholicism in the Progressive Era. 2014. University of Dayton, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1399037190.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lombardo, Michael. "Founding Father: John J. Wynne, S.J., and the Inculturation of American Catholicism in the Progressive Era." Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1399037190

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)