Renewing Parish Culture: Building for a Catholic Future

by John J. Piderit S.J., Melanie M. Morey

Overview

American Catholic parishes throughout the country have been shrinking since the 1960s. John J. Pideret, S.J., and Melanie Morey bring fifty years of experience in Catholic colleges and universities where they had extensive contact with young Catholics and New York City parishes. In this volume they discuss the general problem of declining parishes and specify several solutions to the various underlying issues. The authors employ four basic principles-narrative, norms, benefits, and practices-to increase Mass attendance, to strengthen a broad Eucharistic culture, to encourage a wider use of prayer, and to establish enduring religious education. This book is an important resource for every Catholic church.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742559042
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	01/28/2008
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.05(w) x 9.07(h) x 0.86(d)

About the Author

Rev. John J. Piderit, S.J. is president of the Catholic Education Institute and former president of Loyola University Chicago. He is coauthor with Melanie M. Morey of Catholic Higher Education: A Culture in Crisis. Melanie Morey is senior director for research and consulting at NarrowGate Consulting, a division of the Catholic Education Institute.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Foreward
Part 2 Preface
Part 3 Part I: The Framework
Chapter 4 Chapter 1: The Parish
Chapter 5 Chapter 2: Catholic Culture and the Sisterhoods — A Legacy of Strong Leadership
Chapter 6 Chapter 3: Reclaiming the Sisters' Legacy
Part 7 Part II: Issues for Parishes
Chapter 8 Chapter 4: Mass Attendance
Chapter 9 Chapter 5: Eucharistic Culture
Chapter 10 Chapter 6: Penance - The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Chapter 11 Chapter 7: Divine Intervention and Prayer
Chapter 12 Chapter 8: Religious Education of Children and Adults
Chapter 13 Chapter 9: Loving Service in a Faith Community
Part 14 Part III: Issues for both Parishes and Dioceses
Chapter 15 Chapter 10: Priest Shortage and Pastors
Chapter 16 Chapter 11: Lay Leaders in the Parish
Chapter 17 Chapter 12: Finances and Growth
Chapter 18 Chapter 13: Politics and the Witness Community

Editorial Reviews

There is no issue more important in American Catholic life than that presented in the title of this book, 'renewing parish culture.' It is the parish that is the fundamental unit of formation of Catholic life, from liturgy, to spiritual and ascetical practices, to catechesis, to social concerns, to support for marriage and family. There are so many difficult issues involved! This book dodges none of them and offers cogent analysis and sage advice on all of them. I recommend it enthusiastically.

John Cavadini

It is easy to be enthusiastic about this book! By framing the challenge in terms of rebuilding a "Catholic culture," Piderit and Morey make a significant contribution to the renewal of Catholic parish life. The strength of the book lies in its realistic diagnosis of the challenges faced at the parish level, its conception of the best response as the restoration or creation of a strong Catholic culture, the structure it offers for tackling this project, and its many creative and practical recommendations on how to begin and carry it out.

Sister Sara Butler

This is a spirited book. Motivated by love for the Church and in keeping with the Church's mandate to preach the Good News, Fr. Piderit and Dr. Morey analyze the problems afflicting modern day parish life with the intention of revitalizing it. The beauty of the book is that they do not simply list problems (such as a decline in Mass attendance and widespread ignorance of why Mass attendance is important) but that they provide instruments that may be repeatedly used to assess and correct the discrepancies we see between the ideal and real in parish life. Dead-on, too, is their emphasis on the importance of vital parishes to the (secular) culture at large. As one who works in a European setting where the problems identified here are all the more acute, I welcome this analysis and the wealth of specific, practical suggestions it offers.

Timothy P. Shilling

The parish is the most dynamic center of Catholic life in the Church. Dr. Morey and Fr. Piderit have offered a thoughtful study to guide church leaders in continuing to renew the culture of the parish so that it can meet and transform the challenges of a secular, often oppositional, wider world.

Dr. Mary Cross

Father John J. Piderit, S.J. and Melanie M. Morey once again exercise their critical insight to identify the pressing questions which affect parish life in the United States today and propose practical strategies to address those questions. Drawing on their analysis of our Catholic past, they challenge our imagination to apply effective solutions to issues that touch the lives of all engaged in the life of the local Church.

Msgr. Paul R. Sanchez

This book would be an excellent point of departure for discussions at both the parochial and the diocesan levels. Informed by a sophisticated social theory and theology, Renewing Catholic Parishes arrives at some very concrete proposals. It is designed not only to be read and discussed but also to be used.

Commonweal Magazine

Father John J. Piderit, S.J. and Melanie M. Morey once again exercise their critical insight to identify the pressing questions which affect parish life in the United States today and propose practical strategies to address those questions. Drawing on their analysis of our Catholic past, they challenge our imagination to apply effective solutions to issues that touch the lives of all engaged in the life of the local Church.

It is easy to be enthusiastic about this book! By framing the challenge in terms of rebuilding a "Catholic culture," Piderit and Morey make a significant contribution to the renewal of Catholic parish life. The strength of the book lies in its realistic diagnosis of the challenges faced at the parish level, its conception of the best response as the restoration or creation of a strong Catholic culture, the structure it offers for tackling this project, and its many creative and practical recommendations on how to begin and carry it out.

The parish is the most dynamic center of Catholic life in the Church. Dr. Morey and Fr. Piderit have offered a thoughtful study to guide church leaders in continuing to renew the culture of the parish so that it can meet and transform the challenges of a secular, often oppositional, wider world.

There is no issue more important in American Catholic life than that presented in the title of this book, 'renewing parish culture.' It is the parish that is the fundamental unit of formation of Catholic life, from liturgy, to spiritual and ascetical practices, to catechesis, to social concerns, to support for marriage and family. There are so many difficult issues involved! This book dodges none of them and offers cogent analysis and sage advice on all of them. I recommend it enthusiastically.

This book would be an excellent point of departure for discussions at both the parochial and the diocesan levels. Informed by a sophisticated social theory and theology, Renewing Catholic Parishes arrives at some very concrete proposals. It is designed not only to be read and discussed but also to be used.

This is a spirited book. Motivated by love for the Church and in keeping with the Church's mandate to preach the Good News, Fr. Piderit and Dr. Morey analyze the problems afflicting modern day parish life with the intention of revitalizing it. The beauty of the book is that they do not simply list problems (such as a decline in Mass attendance and widespread ignorance of why Mass attendance is important) but that they provide instruments that may be repeatedly used to assess and correct the discrepancies we see between the ideal and real in parish life. Dead-on, too, is their emphasis on the importance of vital parishes to the (secular) culture at large. As one who works in a European setting where the problems identified here are all the more acute, I welcome this analysis and the wealth of specific, practical suggestions it offers.

From the Publisher

This book would be an excellent point of departure for discussions at both the parochial and the diocesan levels. Informed by a sophisticated social theory and theology, Renewing Catholic Parishes arrives at some very concrete proposals. It is designed not only to be read and discussed but also to be used.

September 2009 Commonweal Magazine

This book would be an excellent point of departure for discussions at both the parochial and the diocesan levels. Informed by a sophisticated social theory and theology, Renewing Catholic Parishes arrives at some very concrete proposals. It is designed not only to be read and discussed but also to be used.

September 2009 Commonweal