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Award-winning American sociologist and emerging trends in the Church
To download pdf versions of the following talks by Dean Hoge please click on title:
'Mission of the Church and Declining Clergy' [43KB]
'Identity of Young Adult Catholics' [58KB]
Enquiries: Audra Kunciunas at the Pastoral Projects Office, (direct) 03 9953 3458.
Further information:
National Catholic Reporter '2005 Survey of U.S. Catholics' [click here].
 Book Review: International Priests in America: Challenges and Opportunities [42KB]
Dean Hoge, one of the world’s leading experts in the field of the sociology of religion, was invited by the Pastoral Projects Office to visit Australia in October 2006.
Professor Hoge, from the Catholic University of America, has spent three decades researching American religion, producing 19 books and 100 scholarly articles. In 2003, he won the ‘Father Louis J. Luzbetak Award’ from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. Dean Hoge was recently elected as the President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, a position he will take up in October 2007.
During his visit to Australia, Dean drew on the findings of his studies to discuss topics such as young adult Catholics, how they are different, and what they think of the institutional Church; international priests serving in the USA, the debate about them, the problems and the possibilities; the priest shortage and our options for carrying out the mission of the Church; and trends in priestly life since the Second Vatican Council.
In a book published early in 2006, International Priests in America: Challenges and Opportunities, Professor Hoge examines the phenomenon of bringing in priests from developing countries to work in American parishes as priestly vocations in the US decline.
Director of the Pastoral Projects Office, Bob Dixon, said: “Dean’s research shows the Church is in a period of great transition and his studies of the clergy in the United States point to a changing face of the Church of the future, with a greater emphasis on the contribution of lay people.”
Bob added: “Our own research in Australia shows similar trends, and his expert findings will help us in Australia to focus on these very important issues.”
For more biographical details about Dean Hoge [click here].
For details about Dean Hoge's current books [click here].
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The Catholic Community in Australia
 Drawing extensively on the 2001 Australian Census and the 2001 National Church Life Survey, The Catholic Community in Australia provides a detailed demographic profile of both the Catholic community in general and of those who are active in Church life. As well as painting a comprehensive profile of the contemporary Catholic community, it also traces the history of Catholics in Australia from the First Fleet to the present day, and examines how the richness of the community's traditions increased through the arrival of Catholic immigrants from many countries during the second half of the twentieth century. The book also includes a brief account of the major Catholic beliefs and religious practices and looks at the complex organisations and activities that make up the Catholic Church. It concludes by noting both the achievements of the Church in Australia and the challenges it faces in the years ahead.
The book is a completely revised, updated and expanded version of Dixon's 1996 book The Catholics in Australia..
The book was published in association with the Christian Research Association (CRA).
The Catholic Community in Australia is available for $25.00, including postage (5 or more copies, $20 each). To obtain a copy please contact The Christian Research Association on 03 9878 3477 or visit their website.
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Australia's Religious Communities (CD-ROM; 2nd Edition)
A CD-ROM produced by the Christian Research Association. Edited by Rev Dr Philip Hughes.
This outstanding CD-ROM provides an account of more than 170 religious groups in Australia, with 29 major religious traditions given detailed, book-length treatment covering the tradition's history, particularly its history in Australia, its beliefs and practices, organisation, current statistics, and biographies of selected individuals.
The material on the Catholic community was prepared by Robert Dixon, author of The Catholic Community in Australia and Director of the Pastoral Projects Office.
"For students and teachers, this resource makes available relevant, accessible, accurate information in a well-presented, attractive and engaging format. A great resource for schools and all interested in the study of Australia's religious heritage and practice."
- Dr Sandra Carroll, Lecturer in Religious Education, Australian Catholic University
The cost of the CD is $67.00.
To obtain a copy, please contact The Christian Research Association on 03 9878 3477 or visit their website.
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