Polarization in the US Catholic Church

Mary Ellen Konieczny is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame. She holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and an MDiv from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and she previously worked in ministry and administration for the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.  Her book, The Spirit’s Tether: Family, Work, and Religion among American Catholics, is an ethnography of liberal and conservative Catholic parishes examining how religion and family life support and shape moral and political polarization.Charles C. Camosy (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is associate professor of theology at Fordham University. His articles have appeared in publications including American Journal of Bioethics, Journal of the Catholic Health Association, Los Angeles Times, and America. He is also the author of Too Expensive to Treat?, Peter Singer and Christian Ethics, For Love of Animals, and Beyond the Abortion Wars. He advises the Faith Outreach office of the Humane Society and the ethics committee of Children's Hospital of New York.Tricia C. Bruce (PhD, University of California Santa Barbara) is associate professor of sociology at Maryville College and author of Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful Is Changing the Church. Her second book (forthcoming) explores the use of “personal parishes” in response to cultural, ideological, and ethnic diversity among US Catholics. She also co-leads the American Parish Project and has conducted applied research for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Polarization is one of the gravest illnesses infecting the US Catholic Church. In fact, Catholics often have an easier time talking with members of other Christian denominations and other religious traditions than with one another. Before we can accomplish anything in our church, we must first be able to talk to one another charitably. This book is an important step forward, as some of the church's most thoughtful men and women lay out the scope of the problem, consider its roots, and point to healthy and life-giving ways to move ahead. Essential reading for Catholics in the United States."James Martin, SJ, Author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage