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Leaders of the American Catholic community want to and need to reach out to young adults. But effective ministry to young adults means that church leaders have to understand 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 both European-American and Latino Catholics 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, Dean Hoge and his colleagues 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. 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.
“This thoughtful and timely work will be a handbook for those hungry for data on Catholic young adult life. All who minister to or theologize about this generation should read it carefully. . . . a concisely rendered sociological snapshot . . . [the] book concludes with an agenda for understanding and ministering to young adults today that the church cannot afford to ignore. This book is a very important contribution, and the church is in debt to the productive toil of these four researchers. ” —National Catholic Reporter
Dean R. Hoge is professor of Sociology at Catholic University of America. He is the author of, among others, Converts, Dropouts, Returnees: A Study of Religious Change Among Catholics, The Future of Catholic Leadership: Responses to the Priest Shortage, and co-author of Laity, American and Catholic: Transforming the Church.
William D. Dinges is associate professor of Religious Studies in the School of Religion at Catholic University of America. He has published several scholarly articles, and is currently writing a book on the experience of the Mass among American Catholics.
Mary Johnson, SND de N, is associate professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Emmanuel College. She is the author of several scholarly articles.
Juan L. Gonzales, Jr., is professor of Sociology at California State University, Hayward. He is the author of Racial and Ethnic Groups in America, and Racial and Ethnic Families in America.