Catholic Parish Organizational Structure and Parish Outcomes

Due to a number of factors, the Catholic Church has in recent years been required to be innovative in the way it organizes its parishes. Canon law addresses some options for dioceses that need to restructure their parishes. This study considers three of them: pastoring multiple parishes through a team of pastors (Code of Canon Law 517.1); entrusting pastoral care to someone other than a priest (c517.2); and appointing a single priest to pastor more than one parish (c526.1). The effect of each of these models on the change in parish Sunday Mass attendance is empirically estimated. No significant difference in Mass attendance was found between those parishes that had experienced an organizational restructuring and those that had not. When comparing the three different models of parish restructuring, parishes that were led by a team of priests were found to outperform parishes that had experienced the other two restructuring options.     

Parish Ministry and the Elderly:

Oppurtunities for parishes and congregations to develop worthwhile programs with and for senior parishioners are abundant. The challenge lies in adding a spiritual dimension so the programs are not simply duplications of public programs. In this article results of a questionnaire survey, and interviews with ten Catholic parish pastors and 72 senior parishioners are reported. The interview questions worked well, and are included. Eight themes emerged from the interviews; and they imply direction for program development.     

The Impact of the Internet on Parish Ministry

ABSTRACT

After examining recent literature on the information-seeking behavior of clergy and the use of the Internet in parish ministry, this article reports on a survey of approximately 200 parish ministers. Clergy were asked whether they used the Internet to gather information for sermon preparation and/or denominational awareness. The survey is analyzed regarding specific types of information sought, and the results are compared to a recent national survey on Internet use. An annotated list of those web resources that proved most useful to survey respondents is provided.     

On Parish Theologizing in Response to Ted Peters

Abstract : What happens when a men's Bible study group discusses Ted Peters' article, “Christian God‐Talk, While Listening to Atheists, Pluralists, and Muslims”? Lay people like theologians confront the secularization of society, pluralism, Islam, and atheism, the threat of violence, the institutionalization of ideology. And they confront the power of grace provocatively proclaimed. This writing concludes with a proposal to seek new language in the ongoing debate.     

How to Assimilate the Elderly Into Your Parish:

This research is a scientific study of retired persons, to attempt to determine why they drop out of the church upon reaching retirement age. The hypothesis is that a person drops out of active church life because helshe feels alienated within the social system known as the church. Groups were tested in Michigan, Indiana, and Florida. Each group was tested for church attendance, religiosity, alienation and religious experience. Using alienation as the independent variable, it was determined that there was a correlation between alienation and church attendance. These two variables were found to be correlated at the 0.001 level of confidence. Upon further examination it was found that the computed T-Statistic indicated that the correlation was inverse in nature. As alienation increases, church attendance measurably decreases. Due to the fmdings of this research the hypothesis was accepted. Having determined that alienation is a primary cause of decline in church attendance among the elderly, ways in which to decrease alienation and therefore increase church attendance are presented. A primary agent in the process of reducing alienation is psycho-social bonding and ways to increase the bonding process are discussed. Bonding is that process by which a person attaches to, and makes a social connection with another person. The bond that is formed is often difficult to eradicate. Alienation could be described as a state of being bondless within a social system.     

A Parish Pastor Responds To Ted Peters

Abstract : The competing claims of atheism, pluralism, and Islam have all penetrated to the parish level in various degrees. The author describes her parish experience, examines Peters's recommendations, and offers an additional recommendation of her own: collaboration when appropriate.     

Sermons on Racial Tolerance and the Parish Neighborhood Context1

A study was conducted concerning racial attitudes of a group of white, Roman Catholic residents of a large midwestern city interviewed before and after they heard two sermons opposing raeial injustice and segregation. There was no significant relationship between presermon and postsermon change in a parishioner's attitude toward racial integration and the prointegration intensity of the sermons he heard. However, variation in the prointegration intensity of sermons delivered in a parish was closely related to the socioeconomic status of the parishioners, suggesting that the priests’perception of parish norms may have influenced the contents of the sermons. The needs or functions that segregationist attitudes may serve were considered. The 3 strongest of 14 correlates of segregationist attitudes investigated in this study were (a) belief that racial integration leads to neighborhood deterioration, (b) authoritarian aggression, and (c) perception of neighbors’attitudes toward integration. These three correlates appear to reflect object appraisal needs, externalization of inner conflict needs, and social adjustment needs, respectively.     

Using the DSM-III-R in Counseling

Familiarity with DSM-III-R is an important element in maintaining professional expertise for counselors. This article discusses the new revisions contained in the DSM-III-R.     

Counseling the aging

In a culture preoccupied with youth, the aged are often relegated to a secondary and neglected status. Mary Buckley's article asks us to take another look at the aged and realize that, contrary to our prejudices, personal growth and creative living do not end with the beginning of retirement. She describes her counseling style with the aging, which is designed to provide an atmosphere of understanding and sharing in order to foster their growth.