Abstract: In the nineteenth century, Evangelical Protestants were crucial actors in education and social and political reform movements. Their influence on Victorian-Era reform and culture has been well documented. However, the participation of other religious groups has been under examined, particularly the work of Catholics. Catholics were remarkably progressive educators and activists from the nineteenth century forward despite stereotypes. Their institutions and associations created opportunities for women to take a greater role in the public sphere, and their social justice and welfare-oriented initiatives contributed to the larger Progressive Reform impulse by the turn of the twentieth century. This article explores the life and work of Augusta Lewis Troup, a New York typesetter and later New Haven Teacher, whose education in a Catholic convent shaped her involvement in the organized labor movement and the women’s rights movement. It analyzes how her Catholicism contributed to her social consciousness and political style.