ABSTRACT
In 1790, the year John Carroll became Bishop of Baltimore, the Catholic population in the United States numbered less than 40,000—a very distinct minority in a population of nearly 4,000,000, many of whom were Protestants. Protestant opinion of Catholics gradually improved throughout the post-revolutionary period. The small number of Catholics scattered throughout Protestant America, the scarcity of religious buildings, and the shortage of priests often led to novel situations. Catholic priests frequently celebrated religious services in Protestant churches or homes. Benjamin Carr, an Episcopalian, published a collection of sacred songs for use in Catholic Churches—a work which he dedicated to Bishop Carroll. In Boston, non-Catholics contributed $3,453 towards the building of Holy Cross Church. The problem of mixed-marriage was viewed as so serious to religion that Carroll and the clergy took up the question at the first Diocesan Synod of the Clergy, meeting in Baltimore, November 7–11, 1791.
