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Preaching to a place of pluralism

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Preachers address people who make many different choices and who live their lives in many different ways. There has always been human diversity, of course; in the past, people groups were different one from another, but diversity was not nearly as strong within people groups. That is what marks the reality of the preacher and pastoral leader today. All of us live in an age of choice, and the choices before us are immense and bewildering. Many avoid choice, finding it hard to make long-term commitments. For example, far more people marry—or are ordained—later in life. Teens often turn off church or enter upon a time of seeking in college—and beyond, as adolescence is extended into early adulthood. At the same time, more young people come from religiously mixed, non-practicing, or a religiously seeking household. That is not especially unusual for U.S. culture, which was arguably founded on choice. Religiously, believers in the United States have long "denomination-hopped," and Catholicism is increasingly seen as one denomination among many. Oddly, the challenge here is not only to retain those one can retain at any particular time. It is also to plant the seed and the memories that will lead those who are exiting to consider returning when the time comes. The preacher more than ever might just have that one moment, that one opportunity, to connect with someone. There is little room to maneuver for today's preacher or presider. Each moment should be understood as potentially the last such moment for those in attendance—today, more than ever. © 2009, Bryan Froehle.

Authors Bryan Froehle

pluralism diversity

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What do Catholics look like around the world?

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

What do Catholics look like around the world? One thing is for sure: They don’t look like the crowd in a typical parish in the United States. Catholics in the United States comprise just six percent of all Catholics worldwide—and a very odd group of Catholics at that on any number of measures. What trends best describe Catholics around the world in the 21st century? Three words come to mind: poverty, pluralism, and pentecostal. The bulk of the world’s Catholics now live in great poverty. The greatest proportion of Catholics worldwide is now found in the so-called Global South: Africa, Latin America, Asia. But have we realized that the greatest growth has tended to be in countries that are not majority Catholic, and in countries where Catholics are the majority, they now constitute a significantly smaller majority than in the past? So pluralism is increasing. And pentecostal: In a major recent survey of religion in a number of countries across the Global South, Catholics were very likely to identify as “charismatic” and to resonate with practices and beliefs often termed “pentecostal.” This is all very interesting for those of us in the United States as well. The greatest growth in Catholics today is among impoverished Latino immigrants. And in the United States Catholicism has thrived, some would say, precisely because it had to present itself as a minority religion in a pluralist framework. Finally, the United States is arguably the birthplace of pentecostal Christianity (1906, Los Angeles) as well as the Catholic charismatic movement (1967, Dusquesne University). In addition, Hispanic Catholics, Filipino Catholics, and others supply large portions of the Catholic charismatic movement in the United States. © 2007, Bryan Froehle.

Authors Bryan Froehle

poverty pluralism pentecostal

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Word of the Week

17 November 2024

Presider’s Chair

\'pri-sīd-ərs 'cher\

Also known as the presidential chair, the seat in a parish church from which the celebrant leads the assembly during Mass. Its meaning derives from the chair, or cathedra in Latin, from which the diocesan bishop presides (from Latin meaning “to protect” or literally “to sit before”). The chair is a liturgical symbol of authority and pastoral leadership.

Pronunciation Read more

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