Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Established in 1887 as a graduate and research center following approval by Pope Leo XIII, the university began offering undergraduate education in 1904. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Pope Leo XIII granted the University Charter in April 1886
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the centerpiece of the campus
An aerial view of campus in 1920
Knights of Columbus presented a check to Catholic University of America on the steps of the university's McMahon Hall in 1904 to establish a Chair of American History.
Catholic Church in the United States
With 23 percent of the United States' population as of 2018, the Catholic Church is the country's second-largest religious grouping after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided into separate denominations. In a 2020 Gallup poll, 25% of Americans said they were Catholic. The United States has the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
St. Francis Xavier Church in Compton, Maryland, the oldest Catholic church in continuous operation from the Thirteen Colonies
John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, the first Catholic bishop in the United States. His cousin, Charles Carroll, was a Founding Father and one of 56 founders to sign the Declaration of Independence.
18th century New Spanish Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine