While the role of the laity in the nationalist awakening is commonly recognized, their part in the movement for religious renewal is usually minimized. Initiative on the part of the laity has been thought to have existed only outside the church, where it remained a troubling and at times insurgent force. Clarke revises this picture of the role of the laity in church and community. He examines the rich associational life of the laity, which ranged from nationalist and fraternal associations independent of the church to devotional and philanthropic associations affiliated with the church. Associations both inside and outside the church fostered ethnic consciousness in different but complementary ways that resulted in a cultural consensus based on denominational loyalty. Through these associations, lay men and women developed an institutional base for the activism and initiative that shaped both their church and their community. Clarke demonstrates that lay activists played a pivotal role in transforming the religious life of the community.

Brian Clarke teaches in the Toronto School of Theology and Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto.

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"Very impressive scholarly research and the best study that I have read on an Irish-Catholic community. It examines two of the most important issues in the history of the nineteenth-century Irish, namely religion and nationalism, and shows the significant developments that took place in each of these areas within the Toronto Irish community." Jay P. Dolan, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre Dame.
"The scholarship displayed here is very sound indeed. The author combines a clear conceptual framework with a thorough knowledge of the sources ... Although focusing on a single community, he succeeds in placing the experience of this community in a much wider context ... This study sheds light on the history of one of Canada's most significant and influential ethno-religious communities." Terry Murphy, Department of Religious Studies, Memorial University.

"Very impressive scholarly research and the best study that I have read on an Irish-Catholic community. It examines two of the most important issues in the history of the nineteenth-century Irish, namely religion and nationalism, and shows the significant developments that took place in each of these areas within the Toronto Irish community." Jay P. Dolan, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre Dame. "The scholarship displayed here is very sound indeed. The author combines a clear conceptual framework with a thorough knowledge of the sources ... Although focusing on a single community, he succeeds in placing the experience of this community in a much wider context ... This study sheds light on the history of one of Canada's most significant and influential ethno-religious communities." Terry Murphy, Department of Religious Studies, Memorial University.