20th-century history of the Catholic Church in the United States 20th-century history of the Catholic Church in the United States The 20th-century history of the Catholic Church in the United States was characterized by a period of continuous growth for the Church in the United States, with Catholics progressively evolving from a small minority to a large minority. In 1900 the Catholic population was 10 million, under the control of 14 Archbishops, 77 bishops, and 12,000 priests . The community had built 10,000 churches, of which two-thirds had resident pastors. Catholic schools educated nearly 1,000,000 children and youth. Catholics were heavily concentrated in the industrial and mining centers of the
Church of Mary's Nativity within the Fort Church of Mary's Nativity within the Fort The Church of the Nativity of Mary is a Roman Catholic church located within the historical Fort St. Angelo, in Birgu, Malta. The origins of this church, built within the fort walls, is unknown. However it is known that by 1274, the church already existed. Historians assume that the church was probably built during the late 11th century, after Roger I of Sicily arrived in Malta and reconquered the island from the Moors. It is said that the church was built as a thanksgiving by the Christians for the liberation of Malta from