Customer Reviews

Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith

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This book is primarily a sociological study, so anyone looking for a discussion of the concept of Sensus Fidelii needs to be aware that it is provided obliquely via the author's study of parishes in the North Bay (CA) area. I found many of his fidnings to be reflective of views in Southern California also. Whether his findings hold up elsewhere in the nation would be an interesting read also - and a possible subject for another study. This is an excellent descriptive study - a little dry for those looking for a more expository approach and not inclined to study charts and data. It is an important study and one which every Bishop, priest and lay person ought to be familiar with.

I think this is a fantastic book on American Catholics. First of all, it's beautifully written; I'm not used to sociology books being such a page-turner. Second, the author actually listened to real-life Catholics -- liberal and conservative, gay and straight, afluent and poor, people of different races and ethnicities -- and is very nuanced in his teasing out the trends in their thinking and ways of being religious. Finally, Baggett uses sociological theory to make some very sophisticated observations about how the people in the pews draw upon Catholic (and other) symbols and narratives to provide a sense of meaning to their lives. Honestly, I think as many Catholics as possible (as well as other people interested in the important changes in American religion more generally) should read this book in order to get beyond the stereotypes that keep people from really understanding one another. This is a wonderful book.

Today's conventional wisdom is that American Catholics are less religious than their predecessors. Jerome Baggett, author and professor, in his landmark study, "Sense of the Faithful," set out to ascertain this perceived reality by studying how Catholics are practicing their faith today.

The author characterizes his book as a conversation piece..."the result of many conversations about present-day American Catholicism with students and colleagues at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley." He learned that there was very little known "about the people in the pews and how they find meaning in their two thousand year old religious tradition." And so he began his journey to find the "nonofficial" viewpoints expressed by the "rank and file."

"Sense of the Faithful" is based on conversations with nearly 300 active members of six Catholic parishes in the San Francisco Bay area:
* Saint Mary - Saint Francis de Sales, Oakland's first parish and one that celebrates cultural diversity with three distinct worship communities and fewer than 900 parishioners;
* Saint Louis Bertrand, an inner city parish in East Oakland, a 2500 member Initially, African-American and Latino parish few resources available and a focus on enhancing family life;
* St. Augustine, a growing "progressive" suburban 4000 family, mostly Anglo parish in Pleasanton with 64 innovative programs, focused on fostering a sense of community;
* St. Margaret Mary, a destination parish of "cultural resistance" in downtown Oakland where Missals are mostly in Latin with Latin Mass offered, where parish activities are mostly focused on liturgy...still done "correctly," and is not about meeting people's emotional, social or non-sacramental needs.
* Most Holy Redeemer located in San Francisco's gay and lesbian Castro District, a 1000 member mostly childless parish, openly gay and "resiliently Catholic," an occasional lightning rod for gay activists who are angry at the Church, and offering a widely respected AIDS support group;
* St. Monica, a 1500 family, overwhelmingly Anglo parish that feels it is more progressive than most, situated in the affluent town of Moraga, with an impressive menu of activities, and a focus on enhancing family life.

The view from the ground-level gives pause to the idea that Catholics today are less religious. Baggett found that all he spoke with took their faith tradition seriously. "They may be different in how they practice their faith but they are hardly less religious. There is little evidence that Catholics have waning religious sentiments."

"Parishioners showed remarkable candor and seriousness expressing the faith, doubt, and religious community often lacking in the current discourse. It was made clear that in the face of the myriad complexities and tensions that mark one's religious lives, it is obvious that pious platitudes, anachronistic verities, and "holier than thou" accusations that frequent this discourse do not suffice."

"Sense of the Faithful" is packed with insights gained from Baggett's conversations. In addition, the author provides history and context for us to discern the realities of today's "Catholic in the pews" and that of an evolving religious tradition. At the end, he looks at the paradox of religious traditions, characterized by both stasis and flux - "traditions conserve cultural meanings for new generations of people who, in reinterpreting these as novel situations require, ultimately alter those very meanings...with a theme woven throughout the book that the ending of one iteration of a religious tradition is often tantamount to the beginning of another."

"Sense of the Faithful" is not a quick read and requires a commitment to grasp all that Baggett delivers.

I would have liked a wider base for the sampling including the Midwest and the East. I was also more interested in the 18 to 30 age membership of the Church. Otherwise the book has very useful information