Download or read book History of the Catholic Church in the United States, Vol. 1 of 2 written by Richard H. Clarke and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-07-13 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from History of the Catholic Church in the United States, Vol. 1 of 2: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time; With Biographical Sketches of the Living Bishops The long and unbroken line of Sovereign Pontiffs, who have governed the Church from St. Peter to Leo XIII., shews few reigns more illustrious or more brilliant than that of the present Holy Father. Announced by the prophetic words, A Light In Heaven, he has well real-zed the prediction; for he has guided the world by his wisdom and learning, his prudence and fortitude, his ability as a Sovereign and his sanctity as a Pontiff. Gioacchino Pecci was born at Carpineto, in the Volscian mountains, on March 2, 1810, during the Pontificate of another imprisoned Pope, Pius VII. His youth was remarkable for a serious and reflecting cast, united with gentleness of soul, sweetness of temper, and a desire to oblige. His home training was refined and suited to his rank. When yet young he was sent to the Roman College conducted by the recently restored Society of Jesus; and his final ecclesiastical studies were made at the Roman Academy of Nobles. His modesty could not conceal his genius and energy, and he soon became known to that fine judge of human character, Pope Gregory XVI., for the noble young Pecci had given everywhere evidences of great piety and intellect. On his ordination in 1838 he was appointed a domestic prelate. At Benevento, an appendage of the Holy See, though situated in the kingdom of Naples, disorder and crime prevailed, smuggling and brigand age had long been prevalent, and the participators in these vices were the leading families, who had for ages lived on the proceeds of illicit trade and of violence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.