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Religion is a salient part of cultural competence for mental health clinicians. This paper describes rationales for clinicians to work with a less well-known Catholic clergy: permanent deacons. Demographic, personality structure and religious commitment data from nearly 2,000 deacons support collaboration with clinicians to improve the continuity of mental health care. Guidelines for this work are provided by the Clergy Outreach & Professional Engagement (COPE) model: clergy first support mental health without clinicians, then clergy may need to reach out to clinicians, then clinicians may need to reach out to clergy to provide care salient to persons of religious faith and to help sustain recovery. Deacon examples are provided throughout the paper. Future research is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. Catholicism spawned hundreds of national ("personal") parishes, most serving early European immigrants. Hispanics' later population growth, by contrast, coincided with Church leaders' emphasis on integrated, territorial parishes. This paper examines more recent practice around personal parishes with explicit, named service to Hispanic Catholics. One in six new personal parishes serves Hispanics. Hispanic personal parishes' minimal presence among American dioceses, however, does not mirror Hispanics' larger presence among Catholics overall. Findings from an original National Study of Personal Parishes reveal commonalities in diocesan explanations for establishing - or not establishing - Hispanic personal parishes. Personal parishes operate as an alternative, non-assimilative parish structure alongside the "ideal" of an integrated, territorial parish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of religious art and architecture for building community among immigrant communities in the United States is a well-documented phenomenon. But how is the use of religious culture adapted for a multinational, multi-ethnic and multiracial immigrant enclave that witnesses high levels of change and turnover? This paper draws from ethnographic work in the Catholic Church that serves the neighborhoods of Wynwood and Allapattah in Miami, Florida, to demonstrate how one religious community has used religious art and architecture to unite in the face of difference. As ‘landing neighborhoods’, these neighborhoods have historically received immigrants from a host of nations in Latin America before they move on to other areas of the city. Through the use of colonial art and architecture, in particular, Corpus Christi Catholic Church was able to build community in these diverse, low-income, and transient neighborhoods. By emphasising commonality of history and practice, faith leaders were able to use this colonial culture as a ‘strategy of action’ for creating unity amidst difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In “A Catholic Showdown Worth Watching” Patrick Deneen identified and elaborated upon an important division within “conservative“ American Catholicism. That division turns on competing conceptions and evaluations of liberalism, and, by extension, America. A parallel division exists within American conservatism more generally. On the one hand are what can be called “Front Porch Republicans” (named after the website around which these conservatives are organized). Front Porch Republicans regard liberalism of any kind as inherently corrosive, and because liberalism is written into the genetic code of the American political order, they are also critical of the American regime. On the other hand are what can be called “Natural Law Liberals” (a term coined by Christopher Wolfe). Natural Law Liberals distinguish between a positive form of classical liberalism that is continuous with the natural law tradition, and a form of modern liberalism that is not. For Natural Law Liberals, the principles of the American founding embody a form of Natural Law Liberalism. Whereas Front Porch Republicans often appeal to Alasdair MacIntyre in defense of their arguments, Natural Law Liberals often appeal to John Finnis. That such a division exists between MacIntyre and Finnis is often taken for granted. But a close examination of their writings suggests more common ground between them than either Front Porch Republicans or Natural Law Liberals usually acknowledge. In this paper I attempt to identify that common ground by exploring MacIntyre and Finnis's conceptions of morality, politics and the common good. I also attempt to indicate places where there is disagreement, and where further clarification is required. This essay is intended to be the first word, and not the last word, on this subject. It is a call to conversation, rather than a showdown, between Front Porch Republicans and Natural Law Liberals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Civil disobedience actions designated as "Plowshares actions" were first committed by Philip and Daniel Berrigan and others in 1980, in response to nuclear proliferation and as a way to galvanize the Catholic Left following the Vietnam War era, during which the Berrigans had risen to national prominence for their anti-war demonstrations. Still active today, the Plowshares perform ritualized "symbolic disarmaments" that are accompanied by a rhetoric characterizing the actions as successful even though they do not bring about the political change for which the activists seem to aim. This paper examines the rhetoric of marginality that the Plowshares construct by analyzing four accusations that are routinely leveled against them-bad parent, criminaVprisoner, martyr, and ineffective fool-to show how Plowshares activists, through the lens of theology and via metaphor, refashion these accusations into adornments. The activists recode and claim "marginality" because it is understood as necessary to authentic Christian witness and political efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of ethnic background on organizational status attainment. The data are taken from a national sample of 2,755 Roman Catholic diocesan priests and bishops. The sample is divided into seven ethnic categories: Irish, German, French, Italian, Anglo-Saxon, Polish, and other. Controlling for the overall distribution of status positions within the diocese and the individual's age/seniority, a "non-preferential" model of status attainment is constructed. Average expected status on the basis of this non-preferential model for these ethnic groups in seven different regions of the country is compared to average actual status. Although we found three isolated cases of particular ethnic groups in specific regions doing significantly poorer in status attainment than predicted by the non-preferential model, the only consistent effect of ethnicity found across the entire sample is a slight advantage enjoyed by Irish clergy. No significant effect was associated with belonging to the largest ethnic group in a diocese. The very small advantage enjoyed by the Irish suggests that Irish domination of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States is maintained less by selective promotion within the ranks of the clergy and more by a disproportionate recruitment of Irish priests at the entrance levels of the organization. Disproportionate recruitment and preferential promotion are discussed as alternative mechanisms of domination within organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines key scenes and ideas portrayed in the filmSpotlightand discusses related landmark Supreme Court cases as a reaffirmation of the value of a professional, free press in a democratic society. Based on actual events, the movie adaptation follows journalists from theBoston Globe(within an investigate unit with the actual name “Spotlight”) as they reveal one of the biggest scandals of the twenty-first century, the cover up of systematic abuse of children by priests; and go up against one of the most powerful institutions in the world, the Catholic Church. By giving a voice and a platform for the victims, and by meticulously researching the story, the film provides a clear and strong argument for the continued court protection of one of the United States’ founding principles: freedom of the press. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this article is to examine the life and sport leadership contributions of Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Rose Ann Fleming through the gender-integrative lens of servant-leadership. Guided by Larry Spears' influential rubric of servant-leadership characteristics, which resonates with feminist ways of knowing and is regarded as fundamental to understanding servant-leadership, this inquiry explores how Sister Fleming has concretized servant-leadership through her sport leadership, with particular attention to her three decades of service as the academic advisor to the men's basketball team at Xavier University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Catholic Church in the U.S. has been under concerted public pressure to improve its child protection policies. However, development of these policies has largely been left to the discretion of local dioceses with little central oversight. To determine the scope of current abuse prevention policies, we analyzed all 32 U.S. archdioceses' policies and practices for developing a safe environment and preventing child sexual abuse. Using a tool developed from a list of unique components selected from the policies of all 32 archdioceses, we compared policies and procedures across archdioceses. On a group level, we found policies to be inadequate. The average score for archdioceses in the general area of prevention was 40.7 (SD = 9.3) out of 102 possible points (40% of possible points) with few prevention policies conforming to basic best practices that would be expected of a youth-serving organization. The variation and inconsistencies across archdioceses reveal the need for the Catholic Church to establish more uniform standards for preventing sexual abuse. These standards should be grounded in evidence-based practices and expert guidance. We also discuss some key areas which warrant immediate attention in future policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid considerable public scrutiny, Roman Catholic institutions in the United States have been called upon to address underlying organizational conditions that may facilitate child sex abuse and establish effective policies for early intervention and prevention. The development of child protection policies has largely been left to the discretion of local dioceses with little in the way of central oversight. This study examined the 32 U.S. archdioceses' written policies on child protection and maintaining a safe environment. We found 14 distinct policies spread across the archdioceses which fit into four general categories or domains: (1) Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse; (2) Detection and Reporting of Abuse; (3) Response to Victims; and (4) Investigational Process and Response to Allegations of Abuse. Using a tool developed from a list of unique components selected from the better policies of all 32 archdioceses, we compared policies across archdioceses. On a group level, we found current policies to be inadequate. The average score for all 32 archdioceses was 100.9 out of 250 possible points or 40%. The range was 61 to 137 (SD 20.4). The variation and inconsistencies across multiple archdioceses within the U.S. reveal the need for the Catholic Church to establish evidence-based standards on appropriately and effectively addressing child sexual abuse within its dioceses. These standards should be based on empirically supported best practices and emerging consensus of experts on better practices for youth-serving organizations in relation to child abuse. This article points to parameters for consideration in developing such standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Christians have become increasingly polarized on issues of climate change and environmental regulation. In recent years, mainline Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church have made explicit declarations of support for global climate action. Prominent Southern Baptists and other evangelical Protestants, on the other hand, have issued statements that are strikingly similar to the talking points of secular climate skeptics, and have attempted to stamp out “green” efforts within their own ranks. An analysis of resolutions and campaigns by evangelicals over the past 40 years shows that anti-environmentalism within conservative Christianity stems from fears that “stewardship” of God’s creation is drifting toward neo-pagan nature worship, and from apocalyptic beliefs about “end times” that make it pointless to worry about global warming. As the climate crisis deepens, the moral authority of Christian leaders and organizations may play a decisive role in swaying public policy toward (or away from) action to mitigate global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the majority of U.S. Christians opposed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, opinion was deeply divided by race/ethnicity and denominational group. Using national data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we analyzed variation in ACA support across Christian denominational groups and offered explanations for these differences. We found overwhelming support among African Americans, less unified but majority support from Hispanics, and majority opposition from non-Hispanic White Christians. Among White Catholics and Protestants, ACA support varied considerably, and views toward abortion policy statistically explained much of the difference in likelihood to support the ACA across denominational categories (comparing White mainline versus Evangelical Protestants, and white moderate versus devout Catholics). Differences in anti-Black racial resentment were substantial between White Evangelical and mainline Protestants, and helped explain some of the gaps in ACA support between these groups. We conclude that differences in ACA views by denomination can be explained by firmly held group beliefs that may be difficult to sway, even if the program is a technical success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, Roman Catholic deacons at one of the 216 Hispanic parishes across the U.S. reported on their parish sense of community (P-SOC), using the SCI-2, within the congregation. P-SOC was assessed among socioeconomic status of lower/working class (n = 109) or middle class (n = 107) Latino parishes, located in either an urban (n = 152) or urban cluster (n = 64) site, with the number of families within the parish to reflect a tiny (n = 76), small (n = 46), moderate (n = 38), or large (n = 54) size. A 2 × 2 × 4 MANOVA on four P-SOC sub-scale scores found no significant main or interaction effect for status, site, or size. It appears per public perception that a sense of connectedness and closeness exists in the Hispanic parishes that are poor, urban, and large congregations is a myth at best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry confirmed that most Latino Catholics share their parish with another cultural group, usually Euro-American whites. The presence of multiple ethnic or racial groups in a single parish inevitably draws attention to the power relationships between those groups. Data reveal an emerging majority of Latino Catholics in the United States, yet demographic status does not necessarily translate to increased influence in parishes. Latino Catholics are often "silent majorities" (or pluralities). Understanding racial and ethnic power dynamics within parishes requires an exploration of those dynamics in the larger social ecology within which a parish is situated as well as understanding them in historical context. From such an exploration, preliminary insights emerge that may assist scholars in their understanding of the intersection of religion, ethnicity, and race in U.S. religious groups and assist pastoral leaders in making decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catholic parishes in the United States have included Hispanics for centuries, but large numbers of multi-racial parishes engaged in Hispanic ministry have emerged in the past few decades. Research on non-Catholic congregations suggests positives and negatives for members in multi-racial settings, but sources of multi-racial Catholic parish formation are distinct enough to suggest different possible outcomes. We use data from the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry (Ospino, 2015) to assess the integration of various Hispanic sub-groups within parishes. We distinguish parishes by time period in which they began serving Hispanics and highlight the relative success of veteran parishes (those who began Spanish-language ministry prior to 1980). Importantly, veteran parishes are more likely to consistently celebrate bilingual liturgies and to be disproportionately composed of Latinos. Both factors help explain veteran parishes' greater success in integrating immigrant Latinos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year, there are thousands of Vatican-related news stories, and Pope Francis, in particular, has generated non-stop media attention. In this regard, the year 2017 was no different than the previous three years of this pontificate. Amid such a vast quantity of coverage, it can be difficult to pinpoint the truly salient stories, the ones that, in the long run, are going to make a difference for the Church and for culture. In order to sort through the reportage and find our bearings, we decided to ask a veteran reporter to comment on what he considers the most important stories of 2017. Francis X. Rocca has been The Wall Street Journal’s Vatican correspondent since 2015, and before that he was the Rome bureau chief of Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, for three years. Our conversation took place on 14 December 2017 in Rome. The following transcript has been edited for clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress among immigrants may be due to loss of familiar environment and experience of discrimination. Spiritual retreats may be one way to manage stressful life situations. The present study examined whether participation in a six-day spiritual retreat results in changes in perceived stress and whether changes in perceived stress depend on participant’s demographic characteristics. A total of 88 Nigerian Catholic immigrant sisters completed the Perceived Stress questionnaire pre-retreat, day three, and immediately after a spiritual retreat. Friedman Two-way ANOVA by rank was used to determine if there are mean changes in perceived stress over the three-time period, while Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA was used to determine if there were demographic differences in perceived stress. There were no differences in perceived stress at baseline, but there was a significant reduction in perceived stress at Time 2 and 3. There were no differences in perceived stress for the demographic variables except age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way in which the news media frame child sexual abuse can influence public perception. This content analysis of the child sexual abuse coverage of eight national news organizations in the United States from 2002 to 2012 includes the two dominant events of the Catholic Church and Pennsylvania State University child sexual abuse scandals. Census and systematic stratified sampling techniques were applied to articles obtained from the Lexis/Nexis Academic database, resulting in a sample of 503 articles. Intercoder reliability was ensured by double coding a randomly selected sample. Study findings indicate a shift in the attribution of responsibility of child sexual abuse among news organizations over the past decade from an individual-level problem with individual-level solutions to a societal-level problem with institutional culpability. Nevertheless, individual-level solutions continue to be framed as the best possible solution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study assesses denominational differences in well-being among older Mexican Americans and examines differences between this group and older non-Hispanic Whites. Data came from two representative surveys of the US older adult population, focusing on each of these ethnic groups (N = 996 andN = 612, respectively). Evangelical Mexican Americans reported fewer symptoms of depression and greater life satisfaction than their Catholic counterparts, but there were no such differences among non-Hispanic Whites. Potential explanatory mechanisms examined included differences in frequency of attendance at religious services, use of positive and negative religious coping, and social support or conflict in the congregation. Among these, only the relationship of attendance and denomination varied by ethnicity, but this factor did not appear to explain differences in well-being. We propose that aspects of conflict between Catholic and Mexican-American identities contribute to making Evangelical affiliation more strongly related to well-being in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a qualitative content analysis of how autism and autism spectrum disorder are portrayed in the North American Roman Catholic print media. The findings suggest that there is an absence of medicalization and scientific explanations for the disorder in the magazines and newspaper analyzed. Instead, these publications stress the acceptance and inclusion of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and a celebration of their differences. The themes found in these Catholic publications differ dramatically from those found in mainstream secular magazines, which tend to approach children's developmental issues from a biomedicalized and risk society perspective that emphasizes intensive mothering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious organisations have long relied on education to transmit cherished values, working within society to preserve their worldview. Therefore, when a religious education system is restructured, it can act as a barometer of change, revealing societal values and reflecting negotiated roles. Like other faiths, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter-day Saint or Mormon) has used education to shape its society. In its early history, the faith adopted an isolationist paradigm. Threatened by a Protestant-led common school crusade, Church leaders established a private school system, attempting to augment or even compete with public schools. However, during the early decades of the twentieth century, the programme was folded into the very public school system it was designed to replace. Teachers trained in the faith’s worldview replaced students nurtured in a Church-controlled environment. Accommodation and cooperation supplanted isolation and separation as Mormonism learned to live in two worlds – one with a particularistic religious view and another characterised by a pluralistic society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A convenience sample of 12 recovering alcoholics/addicts were interviewed, using open-ended interviews, during 2009 regarding their experience of Catholic Mass in relation to their recovery. Half of the participants had been raised Catholic, whereas the other half had converted. All have participated in Alcoholics Anonymous and lived in various areas in California. Data analysis used a phenomenological method allowing for use of the participant's own vocabulary. Implications and study limitations are noted, as well as suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sisters, especially teaching sisters, were the principal agents of Americanisation for the millions of Catholics who settled in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The 1884 decision of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore that each parish should have its own school was less the initiation of sisters’ crucial roles in this regard as it was tacit acknowledgment of what they had already accomplished educationally in preventing “leakage” from the faith. But what did adaptation really mean? This essay argues that sisters – many themselves immigrants, of course – arrived at a range of responses to the challenge of determining what it meant to be American and Catholic, religious and educator. Based upon primary research in dozens of congregational archives in all regions of the US, and upon the experiences of communities that variously negotiated the challenges of adaptation in their own ranks, it suggests that the very diversity of sisters’ responses is itself central to the creation of an American Catholicism that has been vital, variable and permeable. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Single-sex Catholic schools are guided by inclusive messages regarding sexuality, homosexuality, and combating homophobia. However, it appears that these official messages have little effect on the heteronormative climates found in such schools. Using the perspective of queer theory, we investigated the experiences of three queer females who attended all-girls Catholic high schools. All three reported climates that stifled homosexuality and promoted a strict gender binary. In response, our participants engaged in two types of gender performance: “going underground” and “in your face.” The climate in these schools forced our participants to invest substantial energy in creating alternative personas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is a review of conscience protection law and ethics in social work from different perspectives. The article's definitional work on professional and personal conscience decision-making processes seeks to clarify the professional conversation on conscience issues in social work with some focus on participation in the abortion decision as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filipino Americans are increasingly playing an important part in the demographic transformation of American Catholicism. However, little is known about the relationship(s) of Catholicism to Filipino American civic life. Drawing on survey analysis of the Social Capital Community Benchmark survey (SCCB), the present study explores the linkages between Catholicism, religiosity, and Filipino American community involvement. Findings suggest that being Catholic and religiously active can facilitate Filipino American community involvement. Significant differences were also found in the influence of religion on volunteering versus community participation indicating that part of the gap between Asian American Protestant and Catholic volunteering in previous studies may be due to methodological issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend in today's U.S. society is one of decreased membership within traditional civic/faith organizations and in particular within Roman Catholic women's religious organizations. These women are known particularly for their historic contribution to the U.S. social capital. Thus, there is a need to study the motivational factors and life satisfaction levels across the lifespan of women religious. The purpose of the current study was to develop and establish preliminary psychometrics for an instrument specifically designed to assess the life satisfaction levels of the various generations of women religious. Discussed are the stages of item development and the field-testing of the Life Satisfaction Scale for Apostolic Women Religious (LSSAWR; 50 items). An important finding is the generational differences on the LSSAWR based on participants' responses (N = 1,116). Overall, the results of this study suggest that the LSSAWR has the potential to identify levels of satisfaction with religious life cross three generations of apostolic women religious. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent healthcare reform legislation in the United States involved much debate and strategizing among various stakeholders. This article provides a narrative of the experience of one advocate and her organization, NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. This organization, which has a particular commitment to caring for and empowering people who live at the economic margins, has been working on affordable healthcare issues for decades. Recounting both the political processes and the personal and communal spiritual journey encountered during efforts toward this landmark passage, the author highlights the role of spirituality as both motivation and resource for engaging in social justice through legislative change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the relationship between the anti-communist movement of Detroit, Michigan and the city's Catholic Church, with the author emphasizing the need to study support for anti-communism not only at the level of national politics but also among everyday citizens. The author is also broadly interested in the Church's role in Northern urban politics. More specifically, the article explains the role of workers' Catholic faith in Detroit-area labor unions' anti-communist efforts, as well as Catholics' use of rhetoric concerning the Virgin Mary in such efforts. Catholic anti-communists' broad concern over the increased presence of secularism in the city and, more generally, the U.S. also largely informs the author's discussion.

Throughout 1894, Chicago's churches were as divided by class as the nation itself. During the Pullman strike and boycott, the city's leading Protestant and Catholic authorities hewed to an ideology of contract freedom that precluded support for the American Railway Union. Meanwhile, a handful of young Protestant ministers championed the strikers, echoing the criticisms of those working-class Protestants who had long decried the established churches' ties to capital. This latter bloc expressed its frustration not merely with words but also through uprisings within local churches and even by founding a church of its own. In light of these findings, the author argues that a grassroots social Christianity preceded an elite Social Gospel; and furthermore, that the participation of working-class persons in the contests over the shape of modern Christianity demands a rethinking of the boundaries of both religious and working-class history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mary Perkins Ryan remains one of the least recognized of the twentieth-century figures in the modern renewal of Catholic education in the United States. The reasons are many but none satisfactory. Ryan was an intellectual without a scholarly credential. She was an educator without an affiliation to an academic institution. She was a leading voice for professional standards in church religious education without ever serving in either a parish or diocesan role. Ryan worked alongside the giants of twentieth-century Catholic educational history - Gerard Sloyan, Johannes Hofinger, Gabriel Moran, Berard Marthaler, Maria Harris, Gloria Durka, and Thomas Groome. Their shadow cast long and may be the reason why despite her leadership in the American liturgical movement and her visionary stance on adult religious education, Ryan still remains on the margins of Catholic educational history. The purpose of this article is to illustrate how Ryan's intellectual corpus, which includes twenty-four authored works and two decades of editorial direction at The Living Light and Professional Approaches for Christian Educators (PACE), justifies her place alongside the more established figures of her time. It is to reclaim a leadership role for Ryan as a visionary in the modern renewal of Catholic education and in so doing to move her contributions from the margins to the main text of that history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation and the anti-communism of the American Catholic church. It discusses the establishment of the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation and its relation to the National Catholic Welfare Council(NCWC). It also deals with the foundation's positions which are in sharp contrast with Vatican's attempts to improve relations with communist governments.

The following article argues that the United States bishops have adopted an objective rhetoric, meaning a rhetoric that focuses attention on the "content" of the argument instead of the person making the argument. Such a rhetoric is bound to fail after the abuse scandal that has beset the American Catholic Church. A subjective rhetoric assumes that the person making the argument cannot be separated from the content of the argument. The documents of the Second Vatican Council hint at the possibility of a subjective rhetoric that has, paradoxically, been employed with success by radical Islamic groups. Contemporary European theologians, especially Johannes Baptist Metz, have laid the groundwork for a subjective rhetoric through what they call "practical fundamental theology." Such an approach offers a model of apologetics that is more scriptural and more plausible than the approach currently taken by the United States bishops when attempting to discuss issues of war and peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Roman Catholic Church in the United States is experiencing a financial, psychological, public relations, theological, and spiritual crisis over priests who sexually abused minors or acted out sexually in a variety of ways and members of the church hierarchy who covered up their crimes in order to prevent scandal. In this chapter I discuss the problems of sexuality among errant clergy through my work at The Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital's Mental Health Network. I argue that if change is to take place in the Roman Catholic Church, it must be systemic and Catholic moral theology needs to develop a more developmentally and scientifically sound narrative of human sexuality for parishioners and clergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New York School controversy of 1840-43 has often been treated as simply an event in the history of Catholic parochial education with some ramifications for New York City's antebellum politics. However, a fresh analysis suggests that it illuminates key themes in Atlantic, American, and cultural history as well as providing a model of how the Catholic church responded to sex scandal and media problems by allowing activist bishops and archbishops to centralize power and to wield community authority. A study of John Joseph Hughes, first Archbishop of New York during the crisis, also begins to suggest his importance as an American figure, engaging with governors, presidents, senators, and mayors. This article revisits the controversy, details the major events in its development, and seeks to place it in a context of modern political styles, rhetoric, and Irish-American assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. At first glance the industrial city of Mishawaka, near the northern border of Indiana, appears to be ethnically homogeneous. Closer examination, however, reveals the rich ethnic heritage of Mishawaka, as it does in so many other Rust Belt cities from Pittsburgh to Chicago. One of the most fascinating of these immigrant stories is the rise of Belgian Town, on Mishawaka's southwest side. This study examines residential, commercial, and social patterns of this evolving ethnic community during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Although industrial jobs attracted immigrants to the city, creation of a Flemish Catholic church provided the foundation on which to build a tightly knit Belgian community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catholicism, like all old religious traditions, contains numerous teachings, rules, devotions, and practices. Catholics today ask themselves what is essential in Catholicism and what is optional. We carried out two surveys of American Catholics, asking them to rate numerous elements as to what is core and what is peripheral. The surveys agreed that sacraments and helping the poor are seen as central, while some specific teachings such as belief that only men can be priests and opposition to the death penalty are peripheral. These findings indicate where Catholics' central commitments lie and what elements of the faith are seen as optional and open to re-thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there have been a number of studies on the determinants of religious giving, looking at giving in a variety of denominations. One consistent finding across these studies has been the importance of stewardship programs. However, researchers have been less successful in identifying exactly which aspects of a stewardship program are likely to be most productive. This study analyzes the effect of implementing various stewardship techniques in U.S. Catholic parishes. The empirical findings show that just organizing an official parish-level stewardship committee has an impact, as does the introduction of the concept of tithing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Focuses on the relationship of the Catholic Church and the motion picture industry in United States. Role of Catholic Church in forcing Hollywood to adopt rigorous self-regulation from 1934 to early sixties; Analysis of the Catholic Church and Irish-American reactions to the film `The Callahans and the Murphys'; Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer's reaction to the protests of Catholic Church.

This article focuses on American Catholism and the International family planning movement. First, the involvement of the government in fertility control both in the United States and throughout the developing world was an involvement in family life. Children, after all, are born into and reared by families. Family life is a central concern of the Church. Even among non-practising Catholics, the key life-cycle events-birth, marriage, and death-demand an appearance in Church. Objections were raised not only because of the details of what the government proposed, but also because Church leaders saw the government usurping an area in which the Church claimed special competence.

Focuses on the power struggle between the Irish oath-bound secret society Molly Maguires and the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania. Violence committed by members of Molly Maguires; Portrayal of the Molly Maguire conflict in Pennsylvania as a matter of Irish Catholics fighting out ancient battles with British Protestants on American soil; Intra-ethnic dimension of the Molly Maguire episode.