Confidence and Crisis covers the tumultuous era of Roman Catholic life in Southeastern Wisconsin from 1959-1977. The first years of this period (1959-1965) were a continuation of the Catholic mobilization of the post-war era. The ideological confidence of this period was reflected in significant institutional expansion, flourishing vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and record attendance at Catholic parishes and schools.

The implementation of Vatican II and Milwaukee’s engagement with issues of racial justice set another, more tentative, tone for the Catholic community. It was an era some remember as a period of great hope and idealism. For others it was a dark time, filled with confusion and bitter polarization in society and the Church.

Overseeing this transition was William E. Cousins, a priest of Chicago and a former bishop of Peoria, Illinois whose often improvised reactions to various crises and changes attempted to preserve archdiocesan unity.