The proofs are just in, the cover is eye-catching, and the book is available for pre-order! It still has some time for it’s mid-October release, but I am pleased to update you with this news! I can also share some advanced praise with you from a CARA scholar and a young adult practitioner:

“Cultural Catholics is a very readable and engaging look at that half of the U.S. Catholic church on the margins or totally outside of parish life. Maureen Day digs into the subtle issues of cultural Catholics versus active Catholics with a sensitive sociological and pastoral eye. She highlights the critical question of ‘who’ mediates the Church, be it parishioners, parish staff, deacons or priests—and how those on the margins experience this mediation. Includes lots of pastoral insight and suggested actions.”

Tom Gaunt SJ, CARA and editor of Faith and Spiritual Life of Young Adult Catholics in a Rising Hispanic Church

“For anyone who cares about the Catholic faith surviving; for anyone willing to imagine a new way of defining ‘a lived faith’; for anyone enthused by the idea that there is a new path forward for Catholic identity; this book is for you! This research and its application help all of us in church life to reframe our understanding of the role Catholic identity plays in the lives of so many, and encourages us to be innovative in how we respond to the concept of ‘cultural Catholicism’ as a positive starting point. In this light, all of us can be considered ‘cultural Catholics’ anew, and I am hopeful for the path forward.”

Nicole M. Perone, National Coordinator, ESTEEM, Chair of the Board of Members, National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults

Thank you to both Dr. Gaunt and Ms. Perone for their thoughtful read and generous assessment!

You can tell I am running behind when I am posting 2024 predictions in March! Well, better late than never. I was collaborating with the folks at USC’s CRCC to think through what religious and social trends might await in 2024. Here are our predictions (details in link):

1. Faith-Secular Partnerships Reignite 21st Century Movements for Progressive Change
2. LA City Council Races Will Bring Racial Tensions Back to the Surface
3. Disability and Inclusion Warrant More Serious Conversation for Many American Congregations
4. Self-care as the New Religion
5. Friendship and Community Becomes Commodified
6. Blockbuster AI Movies Prompt Questions on What it Means to Be Human

What are some of yours?

In an election year and with primaries underway, more and more folks are weighing in on how Catholics will vote, or how they approach political issues more broadly. There is much talk of polarization among Catholics, and in some ways this is accurate, but in theological matters, Catholics remain very much united.

The Politics and Religion Journal recently published a special issue called “Catholics and Contemporary American Politics“; my thanks to Dr. Corwin E. Smidt for his editorial leadership! It is filled with helpful analyses, and you can read my article, “Polarization? Identifying What Divides and Unites American Catholics” to explore this through a national survey of 1500+ Catholics. Here is the abstract to give you a taste:

Polarization among American Catholics has been a subject of both scholarly and media attention. Using a nationally representative survey of over 1500 Catholics, the first part of this article explores the extent to which race, gender, generation, and commitment to Catholicism shape polarization among Catholics; these different characteristics affect Catholics’ political and civic beliefs and practices to varying degrees. The second part of the article parses Catholics into their political party groupings–Democrat, Republican, and Independent–to determine the ways party affiliation affects Catholics’ understanding of non-political religious beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that political divisions are evident among some of the Catholic subgroupings, but that theological unity nevertheless prevails across party lines.