From a Church that once enjoyed devotional loyalty, political influence, and institutional power unrivaled in Europe, the Catholic Church in Ireland now faces collapse. Devastated by a series of reports on clerical sexual abuse, challenged publicly during several political battles, and painfully aware of plunging Mass attendance, the Irish Church today is confronted with the loss of its institutional legitimacy. This study is the first international and interdisciplinary attempt to consider the scope of the problem, analyze issues that are crucial to the Irish context, and identify signs of both resilience and renewal. In addition to an overview of the current status and future directions of Irish Catholicism, The Catholic Church in Ireland Today examines specific issues such as growing secularism, the changing image of Irish bishops, generational divides, Catholic migrants to Ireland, the abuse crisis and responses in Ireland and the United States, Irish missionaries, the political role of Irish priests, the 2012 Dublin Eucharistic Congress, and contemplative strands in Irish identity. This book identifies the key issues that students of Irish society and others interested in Catholic culture must examine in order to understand the changing roles of religion in the contemporary world.
Part I: The Current Status and Future Directions of Irish Catholicism Chapter 1: "Faith of our Fathers": A Lost Legacy?, Eamon Maher Chapter 2: In Periculo Mortis: Can Irish Catholicism be Redeemed?, John Littleton Chapter 3: Holy Unpredictable: A Response to Maher and Littleton, James Silas Rogers Part II: A Closer Look at Specific Dimensions Chapter 4: Secularization, Generational Change, and Ireland's Post-Secular Opportunity, Michele Dillon Chapter 5: Clerical Burnout and Political Engagement: A Study of Catholic Priests in Ireland, Elizabeth A. Oldmixon and Brian R. Calfano Chapter 6: God May Not Need a Passport, but Priests Do: Exploring the Migration Experience of Polish Catholic Priests in Ireland, Agata Piekosz Chapter 7: Theology and History at the 2012 Eucharistic Congress, Dublin, John C. Waldmeir Chapter 8: Lost in Translation: William Donohue and the Recent Controversies of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Matthew J. O'Brien Chapter 9: Irish Missionaries in Literature and Life: From Evangelists of Irish Catholicism to Catalysts of its Transformation, Andrew J. Auge Chapter 10: Contemplative Strands in Irish Identity, Bernadette Flanagan Appendix 1: Church, State, and Society in Ireland Appendix 2: Contemplative Movements in Ireland Appendix 3: Buddhist Centres in Ireland
