This volume chronicles the history of Catholic parishes in such major cities as Boston, Chicago, Detriot, New York and Philadelphia, linking their unique place in the urban landscape to the course of 20th-century American race relations.

In vivid portraits of parish life, historian John McGreevy examines the contacts and conflicts between Euro-American Catholics and their African-American neighbors. By tracing the transformation of a church, its people, and the nation, McGreevy illuminates the enormous impact of religious culture on modern American society. "PARISH BOUNDARIES can take its place in the front ranks of the literature of urban race relations".--Jonathan Dorfman, WASHINGTON POST BOOK REVIEW. 29 photos.