The Church Confronts Modernity: Catholicism Since 1950 in the United States, Ireland, and Quebec
"For the nearsighted, this collection is a picture of institutional collapse. For the farsighted, the builders of community, here are the tools for a reconstituted Catholic Church. The Church can draw from these coherent and pointed essays the blueprint for recreating energetic communities of disciples committed to the reigning of God."--Raymond B. Kemp, Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University"An outstanding collection--just what we need to begin to understand the almost wholly unpredictable changes that affected the Catholic Church in three cultures where it once flourished but now has far less influence over both public institutions and its own members. Written by some of the most thoughtful scholars in each area, this collection is coherent, insightful, and most helpfully, comparative."--Thomas M. Landy, Founder and Director of Collegium, College of the Holy Cross"The Church Confronts Modernityis a rich and finely qualified analysis of religion that is relevant not only to Catholicism, but to any form of institutional religion in the secular context."--Raymond Lemieux, Professor of Religion, Université Laval"A first-rate, stimulating set of essays on Catholicism and its travails in the recent history of Quebec, Ireland and the United States, a topic certain to be understood as one of the major stories in twentieth- and twenty-first-century religious history."--John T. McGreevy, Professor of History, University of Notre Dame"For almost half a century, `change' has been the word most used to describe the Catholic Church. This book clarifies change in three locales, analyzes its sources, and assesses its consequences. The result is a brilliant engagement with the very important question of trajectory: the recent experience, current state, and future prospects of the church in each country."--David O'Brien, Loyola Professor of Catholic Studies, College of the Holy Cross