(restricted link - participants may enter here)
This multiyear study, made possible in part by a gift from the John and Constance Curran Charitable Foundation, will focus on three specific areas of concern about the American Catholic future:
- an examination of "generational issues" as they relate to Catholic identity and practice (e.g., why Catholics under age 35 stay, leave or "defect in place")
- a study of promising models of both lay and clerical authority and leadership in the American church (lay models of ecclesial leadership on the parochial, diocesan and national levels, an examination of the "reproduction of celibacy" in clergy formation and leadership, and new models of "creative fidelity" in church leadership)
- an examination of the role of American Catholic Studies as an emerging academic discipline and a source of intellectual revival in the church
In the first phase, nearly 100 scholars and church leaders - academics, journalists, bishops, diocesan officials and youth ministers-convened at Fordham in April 2005 to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the Catholic community in the United States in the new century. This was the first among many meetings, all of which will lead to a series of public conferences beginning in the spring of 2007.
The first in the series was the June 9, 2007, daylong conference Leadership in the U.S. Catholic Church. (Click here for details)
