American Catholics and Civic Engagement PDF Download

Author: Margaret O'Brien Steinfels
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742531598
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Sheed & Ward proudly presents the first of two volumes in a groundbreaking series called American Catholics in the Public Square. The result of a three-year study sponsored by Pew aimed at understanding the contributions to U.S. civic life of the Catholic, Jewish, mainline and evangelical Protestant, African-American, Latino, and Muslim communities in the United States, the two volumes in this series gather selected essays from the Commonweal Colloquia and the joint meetings organized by the Commonweal Foundation and The Faith and Reason Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.

Author: Commonweal Foundation
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Catholics
Languages : en
Pages : 4

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Author: Maureen K. Day
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479886262
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Uncovers why Catholic organizations fail to foster civic activism The American Catholic Church boasts a long history of teaching and activism on issues of social justice. In the face of declining religious and community involvement in the twenty-first century, many modern-day Catholic groups aspire to revive the faith as well as their connections to the larger world. Yet while thousands attend weekly meetings designed to instill religiosity and a commitment to civic engagement, these programs often fail to achieve their more large-scale goals. In Catholic Activism Today, Maureen K. Day sheds light on the impediments to successfully enacting social change. She argues that popular organizations such as JustFaith Ministries have embraced an approach to civic engagement that focuses on mobilizing Catholics as individuals rather than as collectives. There is reason to think this approach is effective—these organizations experience robust participation in their programs and garner reports of having had a transformative effect on their participants’ lives. Yet, Day shows that this approach encourages participants to make personal lifestyle changes rather than contend with structural social inequalities, thus failing to make real inroads in the pursuit of social justice. Moreover, the focus on the individual serves to undermine the institutional authority of the Catholic Church itself, shifting American Catholics’ perceptions of the Church from a hierarchy that controls the laity to one that simply influences it as they pursue their individual paths. Drawing on three years of interview, survey, and participant observation data, Catholic Activism Today offers a compelling new take on contemporary dynamics of Catholic civic engagement and its potential effect on the Church at large.

Author: Alex Stepick
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813544602
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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In addition to being a religious country--over ninety percent of Americans believe in God--the United States is also home to more immigrants than ever before. Churches and Charity in the Immigrant City focuses on the intersection of religion and civic engagement among Miami's immigrant and minority groups. The contributors examine the role of religious organizations in developing social relationships and how these relationships affect the broader civic world. Essays, for example, consider the role of leadership in the promotion and creation of "civic social capital" in a Haitian Catholic church, transnational ties between Cuban Catholics in Miami and Havana, and several African American congregations that serve as key comparisons of civic engagement among minorities. This book is important not only for its theoretical contributions to the sociology of religion, but also because it gives us a unique glimpse into immigrants' civic and religious lives in urban America.

Author: Maureen K. Day
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 810

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This dissertation studies a Catholic organization involved in social mission, JustFaith Ministries (JFM), to better understand themes in contemporary Catholic civic engagement more broadly. Based on Louisville, Kentuck, JFM designs social justice curricula to bring Christians, especially Catholics, across the United States to help alleviate poverty and related problems. Churches use JFM curricula to create small groups that gather for prayer, ritual, immersion experiences and discussion of assigned readings. Styles of Catholic involvement in the public sphere have varied with Catholics' socio-historical circumstances. Today many Catholic civic organizations exemplify what I call a "disciple style." After a brief overview of Catholicism in American public life historically, this dissertation discusses the development of JFM. It also highlights major elements of JFM's organizational culture that are critical to understanding its mission and identity, with close attention paid to the core values: transformation, Christ-centered, community, justice and compassion. This culture is not unique to JFM and animates many contemporary Catholic organizations. JFM seeks to transform the participants, causing them to shift poverty from a peripheral concern to one that is central, hoping that these transformed individuals will transform society. The organization hopes their participants become more Christ-centered, which entails making their faith the primary part of their life in a "theology of pragmatic reverence." As organizations of the discipleship style meet frequently in small groups for faith formation, community is critical to the maintenance of the groups' values. All discipleship organizations engage in some sort of outreach. JFM is unusual among discipleship organizations in that it explicitly pursues a justice-based style of engagement, as opposed to more common forms of charity and one-on-one service provision. Finally, JFM wants participants to become more compassionate through the new knowledge and experience they gain through the program. The broader implications for American Catholic civic engagement are discussed.

Author: Stephen M. Cherry
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813562066
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Stephen M. Cherry draws upon a rich set of ethnographic and survey data, collected over a six-year period, to explore the roles that Catholicism and family play in shaping Filipino American community life. From the planning and construction of community centers, to volunteering at health fairs or protesting against abortion, this book illustrates the powerful ways these forces structure and animate not only how first-generation Filipino Americans think and feel about their community, but how they are compelled to engage it over issues deemed important to the sanctity of the family. Revealing more than intimate accounts of Filipino American lives, Cherry offers a glimpse of the often hidden but vital relationship between religion and community in the lives of new immigrants, and allows speculation on the broader impact of Filipino immigration on the nation. The Filipino American community is the second-largest immigrant community in the United States, and the Philippines is the second-largest source of Catholic immigration to this country. This ground-breaking study outlines how first-generation Filipino Americans have the potential to reshape American Catholicism and are already having an impact on American civic life through the engagement of their faith.

Author: Margaret O'Brien Steinfels
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742531611
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Essays by scholars, journalists, lawyers, business and labor leaders, church administrators and lobbyists, novelists, activists, policymakers and politicians address the most critical issues facing the Catholic Church in the United States.

Author: Gastón Espinosa
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0742563219
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
"The role that race and religion play in American presidential elections is attracting national attention like never before. Many of the 2008 presidential candidates proactively courted racial and religious voting constituencies including African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, women, and seculars and the non-religious. Religion, Race, and the American Presidency examines some of the reasons why, by focusing on the roles of these racial, gender, and religious groups in presidential politics over the last forty years, and in elections from 1996 to 2004 in particular."--BOOK JACKET.

Author: Paul D Numrich
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813543053
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of America’s history. Currently, about 40 percent of the nation’s annual population growth comes from the influx of foreign-born individuals and their children. As these new voices enter America’s public conversations, they bring with them a new understanding of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity to a society that has been marked by religious variety. Sacred Assemblies and Civic Engagement takes an in-depth look at one particular urban area—the Chicago metropolitan region—and examines how religion affects the civic engagement of the nation’s newest residents. Chapters focus on important religious factors, including sectarianism, moral authority, and moral projects; on several areas of social life, including economics, education, marriage, and language, where religion impacts civic engagement; and on how notions of citizenship and community are influenced by sacred assemblies.

Author: Mary Jo Lopez Duckwitz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Immigration advocates
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
This thesis discusses the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's ( or USCCB) civic engagement as a means to understand the secular and sacred in Catholic activism. In order to better comprehend the religious engagement in political and social issues, this thesis examines the Post Vatican II Catholic civic action and engagement by the USCCB in regards to immigration reform. However, before the case study analysis can be rendered, there must be a historical examination of religion's role in American politics. Therefore, the first half of the thesis is dedicated to three historical religious-civil factors. The first historical factor is the creation of the First Amendment. The second historical factor of importance is the Civil Rights movement. Lastly, there is an analysis of the Second Vatican Council's influence on American Catholicism. All three events legitimate the current civic engagement of the USCCB. Thus, this thesis argues that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, with its religious and secular components, is an essential and necessary element in the transformative movement of immigrant rights. This thesis serves as a reference for those who want to understand the role of religion in affecting societal change and reform in American society. Additionally, this study adds to the academic dialogue of what the USCCB brings to the immigration debate that secular organizations cannot.