New Book: Same Call, Different Men
Change is a common denominator for American priests according to a new volume of research entitled, Same Call, Different Men: The Evolution of the Priesthood since Vatican II. Utilizing five national surveys of U.S. priests conducted since 1970, CARA researchers document the effects of the challenge of priestly ministry with fewer ordinations, the realities of ministering to increasingly large multicultural parishes, and the impact of the sexual abuse issue.
James Martin, SJ reviews Same Call, Different Men: "This fascinating study is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the Catholic priesthood in the United States. Many other wise intelligent commentators base their conclusions about the lives and experiences of priests on hearsay or anecdote. The great virtue of this sociological study is that it lets American priests speak for themselves."
The study's surveys include the voices of priests who entered the seminaries during the Great Depression to those who were ordained in the 21st century. The research encapsulates an extraordinary period of the life of the Catholic Church from priests who began ministry when clergy were plentiful to a period where many now deal with multiple parish assignments even in retirement. Yet the findings may strike some as unexpected. As Fr. Martin notes, "What they [the priests] say may surprise those who do not know them: they're happy."
The book details demographic changes in the priesthood as well as challenges to and satisfaction with priestly life and ministry. Contemporary issues such as growing diversity in the Church and the fallout of the sexual abuse scandal are also detailed. The research concludes with a look to the future and who is encouraging the next generation of priests. Commentaries on the research are provided by Most Rev. Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, Msgr. Jeremiah McCarthy, the Executive Director of the Seminary Department at the National Catholic Educational Association, Sr. Katarina Schuth, OSF, Endowed Chair for the Social Scientific Study of religion at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas, and Dianne M. Traflet, Associate Dean, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University.
New Report: Is Educational Debt Affecting vocations?
A new study on Catholic vocations reveals that educational debt is derailing the dreams of young people to become religious sisters, brothers, or priests. And the problem is likely to get worse: Religious institutes report an increase in the number of inquirers with large educational debt and national averages show record levels of student debt continuing to rise.
The 2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA) for the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), finds that seven in ten institutes (69 percent) turned away at least one person because of student loans. In addition, many religious communities ask young people to delay their applications to enter because of educational debt.
Of approximately 15,000 serious inquiries to men’s and women’s religious institutes in the past 10 years, one in three (32 percent) involved a person with educational debt averaging $28,000, a figure slightly higher than the $25,000 national average.
The majority of communities (two in three) show a willingness to work with candidates with educational debt—and some 42 percent of responding institutes assume educational debt for a least some of those who apply to enter their communities.
The CARA Report
Church Giving Compared
Three related reports by members of the research service of
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) focus on the financial contributions
to churches made by Catholic parishioners and mainline
and conservative Protestant congregants. All three analyses were
based on data collected in Wave 2 of the U.S. Congregational Life
Survey, conducted during 2008–2009, which involved almost 65,000
total participants in 256 congregations.
As found in previous research, the average annual contribution
of Catholic parishioners ($727) is less than half that of members of
mainline ($1,627) or conservative ($1,448) Protestant denominations.
Many explanations have been advanced for this difference, but
one stands out: 63 percent of Catholics say they decide what to give
either when they attend church or weekly, while the corresponding
figures are 38 percent for mainline and 39 percent for conservative
Protestants. In contrast, 47 percent of mainline and 37 percent of
conservative Protestants say they plan their church giving on an
annual basis, compared to only 17 percent of Catholic respondents.
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