The Catholic Church in Ireland Today

Contributions by Andrew Auge, Brian R. Calfano, Michele Dillon, Bernadette Flanagan, John Littleton, Eamon Maher, Matthew J. O'Brien, Elizabeth A. Oldmixon, Agata Pikosz, James Silas Rogers, John C. Waldmeir Edited by David Carroll Cochran, John C. Waldmeir

Publication date:

22 January 2015

Length of book:

200 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498502528

From a Church that once enjoyed devotional loyalty, political influence, and institutional power unrivaled in Europe, the Catholic Church in Ireland now faces collapse. Devastated by a series of reports on clerical sexual abuse, challenged publicly during several political battles, and painfully aware of plunging Mass attendance, the Irish Church today is confronted with the loss of its institutional legitimacy. This study is the first international and interdisciplinary attempt to consider the scope of the problem, analyze issues that are crucial to the Irish context, and identify signs of both resilience and renewal. In addition to an overview of the current status and future directions of Irish Catholicism, The Catholic Church in Ireland Today examines specific issues such as growing secularism, the changing image of Irish bishops, generational divides, Catholic migrants to Ireland, the abuse crisis and responses in Ireland and the United States, Irish missionaries, the political role of Irish priests, the 2012 Dublin Eucharistic Congress, and contemplative strands in Irish identity. This book identifies the key issues that students of Irish society and others interested in Catholic culture must examine in order to understand the changing roles of religion in the contemporary world.

Part I: The Current Status and Future Directions of Irish Catholicism
Chapter 1: “Faith of our Fathers”: A Lost Legacy?, Eamon Maher
Chapter 2: In Periculo Mortis: Can Irish Catholicism be Redeemed?, John Littleton
Chapter 3: Holy Unpredictable: A Response to Maher and Littleton, James Silas Rogers

Part II: A Closer Look at Specific Dimensions
Chapter 4: Secularization, Generational Change, and Ireland’s Post-Secular Opportunity, Michele Dillon
Chapter 5: Clerical Burnout and Political Engagement: A Study of Catholic Priests in Ireland, Elizabeth A. Oldmixon and Brian R. Calfano
Chapter 6: God May Not Need a Passport, but Priests Do: Exploring the Migration Experience of Polish Catholic Priests in Ireland, Agata Piękosz
Chapter 7: Theology and History at the 2012 Eucharistic Congress, Dublin, John C. Waldmeir
Chapter 8: Lost in Translation: William Donohue and the Recent Controversies of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Matthew J. O'Brien
Chapter 9: Irish Missionaries in Literature and Life: From Evangelists of Irish Catholicism to Catalysts of its Transformation, Andrew J. Auge
Chapter 10: Contemplative Strands in Irish Identity, Bernadette Flanagan

Appendix 1: Church, State, and Society in Ireland
Appendix 2: Contemplative Movements in Ireland
Appendix 3: Buddhist Centres in Ireland

[The Catholic Church in Ireland Today] showcased both a broad range of perspectives and a lively exchange of ideas designed to reach various audiences, from teachers and students to pastors and parish workers. . . .Throughout the essays, the writers agree the potential is great for an Irish Catholicism that otherwise stands liberated from long relationships to political power and social privilege. Using various approaches, the contributors assert that this is a time of tremendous opportunity for Catholicism, a time when it can discover both a more authentic and prophetic voice in Irish belief and practice.