Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit (Great Lakes Books

Great Lakes Books Series

by Leslie Woodcock Tentler, Edmund Cardinal Szoka (Foreword)

Seasons of Grace is a history of the Catholic Church and community in southern lower Michigan from the 1830s through the 1950s. More than a chronicle of clerical successions and institutional expansion, the book also examines those social and cultural influences that affected the development of the Catholic community.


To document the course of institutional growth in the diocese, Tentler devotes a portion of the book to tracing the evolution of administrative structures at the Chancery and the founding of parishes, parochial schools, and social welfare organizations. Substantial attention is also given to the social history of the Catholic community, reflected in changes in religious practice, parish life and governance, and the role of women in church organizations and in devotional activities. Tentler also discusses the issue of Catholics in state and local politics and Catholic practice with regard to abortion, contraception, and intermarriage.

617 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1990

About the author

Leslie Woodcock Tentler was a professor of history at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. She is now a professor of history at Catholic University of America. Her books include Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit and Wage-Earning Women: Industrial Employment and Family Life in the United States, 1900-1930.