Catholic Bishops in the United States
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In the past thirty years, the Catholic bishops of the United States have made headlines with their statements on nuclear disarmament and economic justice, their struggles to address sexual abuse by clergy, and their defense of refugees and immigrants. Despite many similarities, the nearly two hundred U.S. bishops are a diverse mix of varying backgrounds and opinions. The last research-based book to study the bishops of the United States came out in 1989, since which time the Church has gone from Pope John Paul II to Benedict XVI to Pope Francis and undergone dramatic shifts.
Catholic Bishops in the United States: Church Leadership in the Third Millennium presents the results of a 2016 survey conducted by the Center of Applied Research for the Apostolate. It reveals the U.S. bishops' individual experiences, their day-to-day activities, their challenges and satisfactions as Church leaders, and their strategies for managing their dioceses and speaking out on public issues. The bishops' leadership has been tested by changes including the movement of Catholics from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West, the arrival of huge numbers of Catholic immigrants, and the ongoing decline in the number of priests and sisters serving the Catholic community. This book provides a much-needed up-to-date and comprehensive view of who the U.S. bishops of today are, where they are from, and how they are leading the Church in the United States in the era of Pope Francis.
Father Stephen J. Fichter is the Pastor of Saint Elizabeth Church in Wyckoff, NJ. Besides his pastoral duties, he is a CARA Research Associate specializing in clergy research and a professor at the Immaculate Conception Seminary located at Seton Hall University. He also facilitates diocesan priest convocations for Cultivating Unity, a joint program sponsored by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) and the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy.
Father Thomas P. Gaunt, S.J. is the Executive Director of CARA. Previously, he served in Jesuit governance as the Socius/Executive Secretary of the Jesuit Conference for nine years and the Formation and Studies Director of the Maryland and New York Jesuits for seven years. After ordination, he spent ten years as a pastor and as Director of Planning in the Diocese of Charlotte. Father Gaunt is actively involved with the L'Arche Communities in Washington, DC.
Catherine Hoegeman, C.S.J. is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, originally from Los Angeles, and currently an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Missouri State University. She researches nonprofit organizations and leadership, focusing on religious organizations. She teaches statistics, research methods, nonprofits and civil society, and sociology of religion, and serves on the board of The Kitchen, Inc. in Springfield.
Paul M. Perl is a researcher for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, where he has worked on national surveys of lay Catholics and diocesan surveys of priests. Much of his academic research examines how religiosity varies in different areas of the country. He has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Notre Dame.