Abstract
Gary Adler, Tricia Bruce, and Brian Starks, the editors of American Parishes: Remaking Local Catholicism, perceived a gap in the sociological literature on Catholic parishes. They note, correctly, that congregational studies are booming; but they sense, again correctly, that including Catholic parishes as just another type of congregation that can be examined using the same methods and instruments too often falls short. Instead, Catholic parishes benefit from being studied on their own, as a unique and distinctive form of social structure.
Parishes stand at the meso level, between individual Catholics at the micro level and the hierarchical structure of the global institution of Catholicism at the macro level. Parishes, and the relationships formed there, shape individual Catholic behaviors and attitudes. In turn, parishes are shaped by the larger structural forces of the institution in which they operate. An examination of what is actually at play on these different levels can improve our understanding of how Catholics can be a cohesive group while exhibiting such widely varying characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors.
The editors highlight four themes that they feel are important for the sociological study of parishes and organize the essays in the book around these four themes: (1) the role parishes play between Catholics and Catholicism; (2) the spectrum of parish involvement among American Catholics; (3) the role of power and process in parish life; and (4) the parish as a form of organization amid multiple organizational fields. Each section begins with an introduction to the theme and a brief bibliography of additional readings related to the theme, followed by individual essays pertaining to the theme. A concluding section follows the same format and offers a couple of essays that suggest ways to use this “embedded field approach” to study parishes.
In addition to this thematic organization, another strength of this book is the extensive bibliography of studies related to parishes and parish life that is included at the end of each essay. Though at times overlapping, and far from comprehensive, having such a large collection of related resources in one place makes this volume a valuable jumping-off point for others who are interested in the sociological study of parishes.
Another strength of the book is its presentation of actual research findings from parish studies. I suspect that one reason parishes are understudied in sociology is that it is difficult, conceptually, to figure out how one can survey a parish—which is really a somewhat fluid collection of parishioners, parish leaders, and parish-connected groups. Nevertheless, parish surveys have been done successfully, and both Adler and Mark Gray provide excellent essays rich with trend data from parish surveys. In addition, Fr. John Coleman, SJ, in a concluding essay describes how he uses findings from parish studies and other sociological resources to inform and guide him in the pastoral leadership of his own parish.
One major shortcoming of this book is its lack of attention to the crucial theme of parish leadership. I would argue that no other aspect of parish life has changed as dramatically over the last fifty years as the area of parish leadership. Perhaps this area was omitted because there has been quite a bit of research done on the changing face of parish leaders (cf. Murnion; Murnion and DeLambo; Zech, Gautier, Miller, and Bendyna; Sweetser; and the works produced from the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project, to name just a few). Diminishing numbers of priests and religious and the emergence of permanent deacons and lay ecclesial ministers have had an enormous influence on the ways pastoral ministry is accomplished, as well as on the ways parishioners understand parish authority structures. A couple of essays on new structures for parish ministry or the emergence of lay leadership and the diaconate would really have strengthened the book.
Overall, this is an engaging book that is written at a level suitable for an undergraduate course in Catholic Studies or the Sociology of Religion. The essays are accessible for a general audience and each stands alone for easy inclusion in a survey course on Catholicism.