Download or read book The Future of Religious Orders in the United States written by David Nygren and published by Praeger. This book was released on 1993-11-30 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For religious orders to continue as a vital force in the Catholic Church, in the United States, and in the world, they must change in dramatic and significant ways. Fidelity to the mission of the founder and responsiveness to critical and unmet human needs are fundamental to the ongoing mission of religious orders. New forms of poverty and the genuine opportunity to serve new and emerging groups of those most in need certainly challenge the ability of any single group to respond in today's world. Since the Second Vatican Council, the changes in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States have effected the way members of religious orders live and work more thoroughly than any other single population. According to National Catholic Reporter, this comprehensive three-year study, which was funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., is one of the most significant occurrances within the Catholic Church since that Council was convened almost 30 years ago.
Download or read book The Future of Religious Orders in the United States written by David J. Nygren and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Lord as Their Portion written by Elizabeth Rapley and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2011-03-29 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guided tour through the fascinating history of Catholic religious orders From their monastic prehistory in the Egyptian desert through their political heyday in Medieval and Renaissance Europe to their present-day work of education, human care, and the pursuit of social justice, the Catholic religious orders have been a driving force in Western civilization. In The Lord as Their Portion Elizabeth Rapley paints a broad portrait of the full spectrum of religious orders spanning the vast canvas of their history. Rapley shows how religious orders led the way in learning and inventiveness throughout the early periods of Western civilization. She explores how religious orders contributed to Western politics and the global spread of Christianity. She examines the ways in which religious orders have championed the poor, marginalized, and disenfranchised throughout history and gives attention the ongoing work of religious orders today. More than simply highlighting the sweeping progress of monasticism s past and present, however, Rapley also takes time to share, in a clear and engaging fashion, the fascinating stories of many of the men and women who chose to take the Lord as their portion and whose piety, devotion, and energetic pursuit of a holy life profoundly shaped the course of history.
Download or read book The Rise and Fall of Catholic Religious Orders written by Patricia Wittberg and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1994-10-25 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Future of the Catholic Church in the American Political Order written by Kenneth L. Grasso and published by Franciscan University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While there is a long-standing history of reflection among Catholics about the proper orientation of Catholicism towards American society, today the American Catholic community confronts a fundamentally new situation. Catholics face the dual threat of an ever more centralized and increasingly omnicompetent state and a new cultural ethos fundamen-tally incompatible with--and hostile to--Catholicism. Today, American Catholics no longer live as a religious minority in a Protestant society whose commitment to limited government and reli-gious freedom affords Catholics considerable space to live out their faith commitments, and whose Christian character assures the existence of substantial moral commonality. Now, Catholics are a religious minority in a post-Christian society animated by an anthropology and public mo-rality incompatible with Catholic truth and committed to the exclusion of the faith from public life. This new situation demands a rethinking on the part of American Catholics of their place in America and their relationship with American society. These essays seek to assist with this challenging task by casting light on this new situation and exploring its implications for the Church in America.
Download or read book Religious Life in America written by Sean D. Sammon and published by Saint Pauls/Alba House. This book was released on 2002 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary religious life is just now emerging from a period following the Second Vatican Council that has been both blessed and burdensome. Its members continue to face some formidable and complex challenges if their congregations are to survive and flourish in the new millennium. The work that lies ahead will require open minds, a willingness to surrender divisive ideological points of view, and a great deal of sacrifice. This book invites those interested in the future of religious life in America to take another look at the signs of the times and to derive hope from some of the positive elements to be found there: the growing number of men and women religious interested in committing themselves to an explicit life of prayer in welcoming communities dedicated to the proclamation of God's Word and to works of reconciliation and peace aimed at transforming the world in which we live by engaging that world so as to evangelize it. Their challenge? To reclaim the values that lie at the heart of their way of living the Gospel and to express them in new form. This book, while hardly a manual, is practical in nature: it offers a number of specific recommendations about what might be done to further the renewal of religious congregations in the U.S. The questions at the end of each chapter are meant to foster further discussion and, hopefully, action that will advance the cause of consecrated life and its future in America.
Download or read book Women in the Vanishing Cloister written by Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious orders for women have existed for fifteen centuries but their future in the United States is bleak. In 1966, 180,000 women belonged to Catholic orders; by 1986 that number had decreased to 126,000. Ebaugh tells the story of the decline of these orders, set against the backdrop of rapid social change and religious reform. To illustrate the problem, Ebaugh takes us into a declining order, here called the Sisters of Service. In 1990, only one candidate sought admission to the order and the median age of members reached seventy. While these demographic changes were occurring, the sisters adapted themselves to the reforms of Vatican II. The concept of a cloistered life faded. Nuns sought college degrees, gave up their distinctive dress, moved into apartments, and began to feel part of the outside world. Ebaugh shows how declining orders have not followed the sociological model of organizational decline-one typically marked by centralized authority, a fear of risk taking, lack of direction, internal conflicts over turf, and low morale. Rather, they have established democratic structures, reduced internal positions in favor of committing resources to empowering the poor, minimized conflicts over scarce resources, and exhibited a sense of freedom rather than poor morale. Although Ebaugh is convinced that Catholic orders in the United States are in rapid decline, noncanonical communities of women and associate programs are growing. Dedicated women can perpetuate the mission and spirit of the order without becoming vowed members
Download or read book The Future of Catholic Leadership written by Dean R. Hoge and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1987 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book should be read by every bishop, every vocation director, every member of every seminary staff, every person involved in the recruitment, formation and evaluation of ministers of every kind, and any and every individual who has ever written or lectured or just 'sounded off' on the so-called vocations crisis. When the Lilly Endowment initially funded this important project, it suggested that it be 'practical, realistic and helpful'. This book meets all three requirements. And more." [Richard P. McBrien].
Download or read book Exploring the Future of Christian Monasticisms written by Greg Peters and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The institution of monasticism in the Christian Church is in general decline, at least in so-called “first world” nations. Though there are many reasons for this, monastic leaders are confronted by the reality of fewer communities, monks, and nuns nonetheless. At the same time, many younger Christians are rediscovering the rich heritage of the monastic tradition. Though they themselves might not be called to join a traditional monastery, they are eager to appropriate monastic practices in their own lives. This had led to a movement known as the “new monasticism” or “secular monasticism.” Despite lacking a unified vision and any central organization, these new/secular monastics are attempting, in their own ways, to carry on the tradition and practices of Christian monasticism. As well, there is a movement within historical Christian monasteries to pour new wine into old wineskins. Traditional forms of monasticism are also generally flourishing in developing nations, breathing new life into monasticism. This volume looks at the current monastic landscape to assess where monasticism stands and to imagine ways in which it will grow in the future, leading not only to a renewed Christian monasticism but to new monasticisms.
Download or read book The Future of Religious Freedom written by Allen D. Hertzke and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2013 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on a symposium held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Download or read book New Generations of Catholic Sisters written by Mary Johnson S.N.D. de N. and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a comprehensive examination of the generations of women who entered religious life in the United States after 1965. It provides up-to-date demographics for women's religious institutes; a summary of canon law locating religious life within the various forms of life in the Church; an analysis of Church documents on religious life; and data on the views of post-Vatican II entrants regarding ministry, identity, prayer, spirituality, the vows, and community. Beginning each chapter with an engaging narrative, the authors explore how different generations of Catholic women first became attracted to vowed religious life and what kinds of religious institutes they were seeking. By analyzing the results of extensive national surveys, the authors systematically examine how the new generations of Sisters differ from previous ones, and what those changes suggest about the future. The book concludes with recommendations for further understanding of generations within religious life and within the Church and society. Because of its breadth and depth, this book will be regarded by scholars, the media, and practitioners as an essential resource for the sociological study of religious life for women in the United States.
Download or read book Shaping the Future written by Horst Hutter and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2006 with total page 1978 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shaping the Future maps out the ascetic practices of a Neitzschean way of life. Hutter argues that Nietzsche's doctrines are attempts and 'temptations' that aim to provoke his free-spirited readers into changing themselves by putting philosophy into practice in their lives.
Download or read book Religious Life in a New Millennium Volume One written by Sandra M. Schneiders, I.H.M. and published by Paulist Press. This book was released on with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sisters in Crisis Revisited written by Ann Carey and published by . This book was released on 2013-07-30 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clericalism written by George B. Wilson and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2017-06-15 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Searching for answers in the midst of the sexual abuse crisis in the church, many blamed the clerical culture. But what exactly is this clerical culture? We may know it when we see it, but how can we 'whether clergy or laypeople 'go about dismantling it and putting in place a new, healthy culture? George Wilson has spent decades working with organizations to help them discover, and often recover, their foundational calling. He is also a Jesuit priest engaged in the lives of congregations. In Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood he brings together both capacities and gives his sense of the challenges facing the church. As members of the church, Wilson maintains, we are all responsible for creating a clerical culture. And we are also responsible for that culture's transformation. Clericalism aids this transformation by helping us examine some underlying attitudes that create and preserve destructive relationships between ordained and laity. After looking at the crisis and establishing where we are now, this book challenges us with concrete suggestions for changing behaviors. We are lay and ordained, but all baptized into the royal priesthood of 1 Peter 2:9, all called to spread the Gospel and do the work of God's love in the world. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, looking for the restoration of a genuine priesthood, free of clericalism, in which we become truly united in Christ..
Download or read book Faith Nationalism and the Future of Liberal Democracy written by David M. Elcott and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2021-05-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy highlights the use of religious identity to fuel the rise of illiberal, nationalist, and populist democracy. In Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy, David Elcott, C. Colt Anderson, Tobias Cremer, and Volker Haarmann present a pragmatic and modernist exploration of how religion engages in the public square. Elcott and his co-authors are concerned about the ways religious identity is being used to foster the exclusion of individuals and communities from citizenship, political representation, and a role in determining public policy. They examine the ways religious identity is weaponized to fuel populist revolts against a political, social, and economic order that values democracy in a global and strikingly diverse world. Included is a history and political analysis of religion, politics, and policies in Europe and the United States that foster this illiberal rebellion. The authors explore what constitutes a constructive religious voice in the political arena, even in nurturing patriotism and democracy, and what undermines and threatens liberal democracies. To lay the groundwork for a religious response, the book offers chapters showing how Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism can nourish liberal democracy. The authors encourage people of faith to promote foundational support for the institutions and values of the democratic enterprise from within their own religious traditions and to stand against the hostility and cruelty that historically have resulted when religious zealotry and state power combine. Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy is intended for readers who value democracy and are concerned about growing threats to it, and especially for people of faith and religious leaders, as well as for scholars of political science, religion, and democracy.
Download or read book Goodbye Father The Celibate Male Priesthood and the Future of the Catholic Church written by Madison (deceased) Richard A. Schoenherr Professor of Sociology University of Wisconsin and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2002-09-26 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last half-century, the number of Catholic priests has plummeted by 40% while the number of Catholics has skyrocketed, up 65%. The specter of a faith defined by full pews and empty altars hangs heavy over the church. The root cause of this priest shortage is the church's insistence on mandatory celibacy. Given the potential recruitment advantages of abandoning the celibacy requirement, why, Richard A. Schoenherr asks, is the conservative Catholic coalition--headed by the pope--so adamantly opposed to a married clergy? The answer, he argues, is that accepting married priests would be but the first step toward ordaining women and thus forever altering the demographics of a resolutely male religious order. Yet Schoenherr believes that such change is not only necessary but unavoidable if the church is to thrive. The church's current stop-gap approach of enlisting laypeople to perform all but the central element of the mass only further serves to undermine the power of the celibate priesthood. Perhaps most importantly, doctrinal changes, a growing pluralism in the church, and the feminist movement among nuns and laywomen are exerting a growing influence on Catholicism. Concluding that the collapse of celibate exclusivity is all but inevitable, Goodbye Father presents an urgent and compelling portrait of the future of organized Catholicism.
