Catholic Bishops in the United States

Church Leadership in the Third Millennium

Stephen J. Fichter, Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Catherine Hoegeman, CSJ, and Paul M. Perl

Presents new data and interviews from a 2016 study of U.S. bishops conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University
Provides an up-to-date, comprehensive, and personal view of all U.S. bishops
Addresses the changes that have taken place in the Catholic Church since the last survey of U.S. bishops in 1989

Catholic Bishops in the United States

Church Leadership in the Third Millennium

Stephen J. Fichter, Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Catherine Hoegeman, CSJ, and Paul M. Perl

Description

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 (CARA). 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.

Catholic Bishops in the United States

Church Leadership in the Third Millennium

Stephen J. Fichter, Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Catherine Hoegeman, CSJ, and Paul M. Perl

Foreword
Acknowledgments

Introduction
Chapter 1: Who Are the Bishops and Where Do They Come From?
Chapter 2: A Day in the Life of a Bishop
Chapter 3: Satisfactions in Episcopal Life and Ministry
Chapter 4: Hopes, Challenges, Vocations
Chapter 5: Personnel and Collaboration
Chapter 6: Governance and Administration
Chapter 7: The Bishops Speak
Chapter 8: Commentaries
Helen Alvaré
Sr. Sharon Euart, RSM
Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Joseph William Cardinal Tobin
Appendix A: CARA Survey of U.S. Catholic Bishops
Appendix B: Survey Response Analysis
Appendix C: Comparing Active Latin-Rite to Other Bishops

References
Index

Catholic Bishops in the United States

Church Leadership in the Third Millennium

Stephen J. Fichter, Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Catherine Hoegeman, CSJ, and Paul M. Perl

Author Information

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.

Catholic Bishops in the United States

Church Leadership in the Third Millennium

Stephen J. Fichter, Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Catherine Hoegeman, CSJ, and Paul M. Perl

Reviews and Awards

"This look at the U.S. Episcopacy, conducted by four eminent scholars, is unprecedented in its detail and couldn't be more timely. U.S. Catholic Bishops today are under more scrutiny than ever, and this marvelous combination of survey and interview data puts flesh and bones on these men and enhances our understanding of who they are and what is expected of them, both by their flock and by themselves."--Charles E. Zech, co-author of Catholic Parishes of the 21st Century

"The serious scholarly work performed by CARA researchers is always of enormous help to anyone interested in the church, and therefore it comes as no surprise to me that they are the first ones to write a comprehensive book about U.S. bishops today. There are many books about nuns and priests, laity and parishes, but we greatly needed this groundbreaking study to help us understand the leaders of our Church, who are among the most prominent and yet the least known Catholics. Where do they come from, what is their education, how do they spend their day, what are the challenges they face both spiritually and administratively? This very accessible yet profound study offers a unique insight into the very human dimensions of the men who are our bishops."--Father James Martin, S.J., editor-at-large of America magazine

"This book makes an enormous and much-needed contribution to the field of church management, including personnel, attitudes, beliefs, activities and lifestyle of bishops. The material presented is extraordinarily noteworthy and thought-provoking. Given all the serious problems the church has faced in recent years and the varying responses of bishops, the content will attract many readers. Catholic Bishops in the United States provides an enlightening and evenhanded presentation of facts interwoven with necessary and valuable commentary."--Katarina Schuth, Endowed Chair for the Social Scientific Study of Religion (Emerita), University of St. Thomas