Young Catholic America

Best Review at the Catholic Press Association Convention Studies of young American Catholics over the last three decades suggest a growing crisis in the Catholic Church: compared to their elders, young Catholics are looking to the Church less as they form their identities, and fewer of them can even explain what it means to be Catholic and why that matters. Young Catholic America, the latest book based on the groundbreaking National Study of Youth and Religion, explores a crucial stage in the life of Catholics. Drawing on in-depth surveys and interviews of Catholics and ex-Catholics ages 18 to 23--a demographic commonly known as early "emerging adulthood"--leading sociologist Christian Smith and his colleagues offer a wealth of insight into the wide variety of religious practices and beliefs among young Catholics today, the early influences and life-altering events that lead them to embrace the Church or abandon it, and how being Catholic affects them as they become full-fledged adults. Beyond its rich collection of statistical data, the book includes vivid case studies of individuals spanning a full decade, as well as insight into the twentieth-century events that helped to shape the Church and its members in America. An innovative contribution to what we know about religion in the United States and the evolving Catholic Church, Young Catholic America is the definitive source for anyone seeking to understand what it means to be young and Catholic in America today.

Christian Smith, Kyle Longest, Jonathan Hill, and Kari Christoffersen examine the development of the religious and spiritual lives of American Catholic teenagers as they grow up, graduate from high school, and leave home.

"There is a raft of books that talk about how young Catholics think, pray and believe. There are few that let those young Catholics speak for themselves. Kevin Meme and Jeffrey Joseph Guhin's vibrant new collection of essays by a talented and diverse group of young men and women goes a long way to answering the question of what the future of the Catholic Church will look like." from the Foreword by James Martin, SJ --Book Jacket.

"Leaders of the American Catholic community want to and need to reach out to young adults. But effective ministry to young adults depends on an understanding of the attitudes and the needs of the current generation of Catholics in their 20s and 30s. This is why Dean Hoge, William Dinges, Mary Johnson, and Juan Gonzales began their study of young adult Catholics. How do they actually live their Catholicism? Are they alienated from the church? Are they cynical about the church's moral teachings? Do they take the pope's statements seriously? Do they attend Mass? Have significant numbers left for other churches? Do they want Catholic education for their children?" "Seeking answers to these and other questions, the authors conducted a national survey in 1997, supplemented by a telephone survey and then by personal interviews with over 800 men and women across the country. The interviews put a human face on the information provided, and they form a compelling part of this timely narrative. Of special interest is the focus on Latino Catholics. The authors underscore observations that include the strength and tenacity of Catholic identity in spite of many challenges, the high level of personal decision making among those interviewed and surveyed, and the readiness of young Catholics for institutional reforms."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

“An engaging, lucid, and informative introduction to the teachings and traditions of Catholicism” (Wall Street Journal), from one of America’s most prominent Catholic intellectuals. In this remarkable exploration of the Catholic world, prominent Catholic author and papal biographer George Weigel offers a luminous collection of letters to young Catholics, not-so-young Catholics, and any curious souls who wonder what it means to be Catholic today. Weigel takes readers on an epistolary tour of Catholic landmarks—from Chartres Cathedral to St. Mary's Church in Greenville, South Carolina; from the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to G.K. Chesterton's favorite pub in Oxford; and from the grave of a modern martyr in Warsaw to the Sistine Chapel. This revised and expanded edition includes five new chapters that examine topics at the heart of the modern faith—ranging from the mystery of evil to the puzzle of secularization—and feature sacred sites from Lithuania to Mexico. Weaving together insights from history, literature, theology, and music, Weigel illuminates the beliefs that give Catholicism its distinctive texture and explores the theological importance of grace, prayer, vocation, sin and forgiveness, suffering, and—most importantly—love. To a world that sometimes seems closed and claustrophobic, he suggests, Christian humanism offers a world with windows and doors—and a skylight.

In Young Catholic American, Ryan Parsons makes the argument that youth no longer need to wait to become remarkable -- they can start right now. By examining what it means to become fully alive, and how Catholicism must remain part of the civic conversation, Ryan inspires young Catholics to use their creative genius to help people, embrace their calling, and participate in protecting the American Dream.