Discover faith-filled resources to help Catholic schools and families celebrate America’s founding and form virtuous citizens.
In 2026, our nation will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Fireworks and flags will abound, but this anniversary is about far more than civic pride. It’s an invitation to remember that the American experiment rests on profoundly Catholic truths: that every human person is created by God, endowed with dignity, and called to live in freedom ordered to the good.
Catholics have helped write the American story from the beginning. We were signers, soldiers, educators, missionaries, parents, and martyrs, helping shape a nation bold enough to claim that our rights come not from the state, but from the Creator. For Catholic families, this is a moment to do more than look back. It’s a chance to look forward: How do we use our freedom well? How do we renew our country by forming virtuous citizens and faithful disciples?
These America 250 resources were created to help Catholic families answer these questions, form virtuous citizens, and put faith-filled patriotism into practice.
Teach More about Catholicism in the American Story
Thematic Teacher’s Guides full of age-appropriate lessons
Infusing the Catholic Faith: Civics
This supplemental guide will help you integrate into Civics the principles of human dignity and natural rights, as well as the Church’s teachings on the purpose of government, the common good, social justice, economics and more.
Each lesson is tied to Center for Civic Education national standards for grades 5-8, as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Infusing the Catholic Faith: World History
The Guide covers The Early Church through the late 20th century and includes units on the birth of the Church, the Crusades, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and many more.
Each lesson is tied to National Council for History in Schools national standards for grades 5-8, as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Courage and Conviction: The True Story of Christopher Columbus
A thorough exploration of the life and legacy of the fearless discoverer of America. Narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri, this film cuts through the anti-Columbus narrative and reveals Christopher Columbus’ remarkable life and accomplishments.
LEARN MORE
St. Junípero Serra: A Man of God, A Mission of Love
Teach the remarkable story of one of the most influential figures in U.S. history. Canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis, Father Junípero Serra was a courageous witness to the Catholic Faith and defender of human dignity.
LEARN MORE
Enduring Faith: The Story of Native American Catholics
Explore the rich legacy of faith among the Native American peoples. This film and accompanying teacher’s guide inspire a deeper appreciation for the spiritual and cultural gifts of Native American Catholics, a greater awareness of how the Faith was shared and became rooted through the labor and sacrifice of Catholic missionaries, a sober acknowledgment of the wrongs often endured at the hands of European settlers as well as the US government, and ultimately a sense of hope at how Native American Catholics continue to live out their belief today.
LEARN MORERead More about Catholicism in the American Story
Selections from Sophia Press on Catholicism in America
A Declaration of Dependence
Trusting God Amidst Totalitarianism,
Paganism, and War
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
This book reveals the shocking truth you need to know in a world riddled by irrationality, emotionalism, and violence. Religion is under attack, whether from totalitarian governments or modern education. Our tacit submission to politics, “freedom,” and science has made us slaves to a diabolical New Atheism and fear.
LEARN MORE
Mother Cabrini
A Heart for the World
Claudia Cangilla McAdam, Richard Cowdrey
Discover the world of Francesca Cabrini in this moving book that not only educates children about a remarkable person in American history, but inspires them with stories of her compassion, courage, vision, and miracles.
LEARN MORE
Sister, Soldier, Surgeon
The Life and Courage of Sister Deirdre Byrne, M.D.
Leisa Marie Carzon, Ph.D.
Meet a modern-day Joan of Arc. Whether in scrubs, camouflage, or a religious habit, Sr. Dede Byrne, in her threefold calling as a professed religious sister, renowned surgeon, and U.S. Army colonel, inspire us to both virtue and action.
LEARN MORE
The Saints of the American Wilderness
The Brave Lives and Holy Deaths of the Eight North American Martyrs
John O’Brien
Discover tales of good men who sought nothing less than the conversion of a continent. Their zeal won for them the imperishable crown of martyrdom and sanctified with their holy blood the soil of North America.
LEARN MORE
Leo XIV
Portrait of the First American Pope
Matthew Bunson
Who is this 266th successor to St. Peter? What is the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s vision for the Church, and what impact will his papacy have on Catholics and on the world?
LEARN MORE
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
American Revolutionary
Fr. Charles Connor
In this masterfully written biography, which reads like a riveting novel, Fr. Connor brilliantly sets the stage for Carroll’s extraordinary life by examining his ancestry, the origins of the United States, and the story of its founding.
LEARN MORE
Father Augustus Tolton
The Slave Who Became the First African-American Priest
Harold Burke-Sivers
The gripping story of Augustine Tolton, who valiantly overcame a series of seemingly insurmountable challenges — birth into slavery, his father’s death, abject poverty, and even being denied acceptance by every Catholic seminary in America — to become the first black American priest.
LEARN MORE
Liberty’s Lions
The Catholic Revolutionaries Who Established America
Daniel LeRoy
Great Catholics were crucial to America’s founding, yet they were downgraded by most historians who never spoke their names. End of problem — thanks to an independent historian, Dan LeRoy, who gets right to the point. “The primary goal of this book: to gather together, in one place and for the first time, the significant contributions of Catholics to the American Revolution.”
LEARN MORE