Now that the Catholic Conversation has been successfully running for awhile we are going to start doing a monthly compendium highlighting \u00a0the topics that have been discussed over the previous month (or in this case the last 6 or 7 weeks):<\/p>\n
With the implementation of the New Translation of the Roman Missal during Advent, Brian Starks wrote several posts on the topic–one exploring his own personal experience<\/a> with the New Translation and another highlighting\u00a0videos<\/a> on the topic. Additionally Brian<\/a> and Lucas Sharma<\/a> both blogged about ideas and called for sociological research on the New Mass Translation, and Mike McCallion discussed research on the placement of the tabernacle<\/a>\u00a0in the post-Vatican II era and linked these decisions to a liturgical movement.<\/p>\n In addition to the topic of the New Mass Translation, Carol Ann MacGregor has blogged about and provided research data regarding the decline of women religious<\/a> and the growth of Hispanic populations<\/a> and the possible effects these demographic changes are having on American Catholicism. She also reflected on the news of Catholic school closures<\/a> in Philadelphia and presented graphical data depicting changes in the number of school aged children enrolled in Catholic schools over time.<\/p>\n Gary Adler explored research on the the impact of congregational mission trips<\/a>. \u00a0He also recalled\u00a0Catholics’ historic connection to Saul Alinsky<\/a> and mentioned recent sociological research hinting at the \u00a0important benefits which \u00a0have accrued to congregational communities as a result of that unique connection.<\/p>\n More recently, the topic of the New Evangelization<\/a> and reflection on the Catholics Come Home<\/a> campaign have emerged. \u00a0In discussing Catholics Come Home, we highlighted research and\u00a0discussion by Mark Gray at CARA <\/a>on whether or not these programs will or have had the desired effects in bringing Catholics into the fold long term. \u00a0We also mentioned the ICL YouTube channel and showed a video of Archbishop Dolan<\/a> discussing Human Dignity at Notre Dame.<\/p>\n Catholic Books Review<\/a>\u00a0was highlighted as a great source of information on what to read, and we discussed books on contemporary trends in American Religion<\/a>\u00a0and Latino Catholicism<\/a>\u00a0in particular. \u00a0Looking at articles instead of books, we blogged about \u00a0second graders’ first experiences with the Sacrament of Reconciliation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0research on religion and health, specifically an article on\u00a0religious doubt and sleep quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n Finally, though this blog serves to provide research, data, and opinions on sociological research on the Catholic Church around the country, it can also provide a place for parishioners to reflect on their experiences of Church. Brian, in one of his posts, shared the story of \u00a0a\u00a0parishioner’s reflection\u00a0<\/a>on how his parish felt to him like family, and we hope that readers will share more such stories with us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that the Catholic Conversation has been successfully running for awhile we are going to start doing a monthly compendium highlighting \u00a0the topics that have been discussed over the previous month (or in this case the last 6 or 7 … Continue reading