Tomorrow's Catholics Yesterday's Church The Two Cultures of American Catholicism

Is the Church about to come apart? To the outsider looking in, it might seem so. On one side is "Culture One" - millions of devout Catholics who feel comfortable in the traditional Church & who resist changes that seem to accommodate modern secular culture. On the other side is "Culture Two" - millions more who seem engaged in their own personal spiritual pilgrimages, ignoring or even boldly challenging traditional control. The "two cultures of American Catholicism" exist everywhere. They're present in almost every family, in every parish, & at every level of the institutional Church. Kennedy writes of "Culture One" that it was "once so extraordinarily powerful & unified that everyone over a certain age has almost identical memories of it." In contrast, "Culture Two" believers "find their intellectual, religious, & artistic stimulation well beyond the tightly guarded borders of this quaint Catholic enclave... They no longer need 'Catholic' books or films... They are much more at home in the world in general than their parents were permitted to be." Kennedy - a perceptive observer who deeply identifies with what he sees as the best in both of these "Catholic cultures" - believes the outcome will not be schism. Instead, he envisions a Church that is enriched with more choices, more creativity, more appreciation for roots, & a greater vision for the future.Kennedy, Eugene is the author of 'Tomorrow's Catholics Yesterday's Church The Two Cultures of American Catholicism' with ISBN 9780892435807 and ISBN 0892435801.