Catholic Studies Commons^™

Keeping Faith: A Qualitative Study On Religiosity Among Young Catholics In Ireland, Michael A. Clements

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Ireland is a country that is well-known for its Catholic heritage. Despite its global perception as a Catholic country, the Emerald Isle has experienced rapid secularization within the last 30 years, during which rates of Church attendance and Catholic self-identification have fallen dramatically. Likewise, the legalization of abortion, gay marriage, and divorce, concepts contrary to Catholic teaching, further reflect the island's departure from Catholic Orthodoxy. Should the Catholic religion have a future in Ireland, it will lie in the hands of its devout youth: a demographic with relatively little representation in the literature.

Using a hybrid interview and survey format, …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Nine Defining Characteristics Of Catholic Identity In Ursuline Secondary Schools Of The Usa, Barbara Ann Middendorf

Doctoral Dissertations

Catholic schools are integral to the Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization. A Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who is Jesus Christ. Education is the concern and task of the Church, called to serve humankind from the heart of God. This study examined the perceptions of teachers working in Roman Union, Ursuline secondary schools of the Central Province of the United States regarding the extent to which the nine defining characteristics of Catholic identity were present in their respective schools and classrooms. For this research, Catholic identity was operationally defined using the seminal Catholic education …

Hoping To Die Well: An Exploration Of The Good Death, Emily Folse, Thomas Smith, Phd

Phase 1

Introduction: Many healthcare providers are uncomfortable and ill-equipped to talk about death with terminally ill patients and their families. This often results in unnecessary, aggressive medical interventions at the end of life and deaths discordant with patients’ wishes. In order to help patients die better deaths, it is first necessary to determine the character of a good death.

Methods: The good death was considered from secular and Catholic perspectives because religion is personally important to the author and many patients in the US. Features of a good death were elucidated by careful reading of scientific and humanistic literature and conversing …

Renewing Hearts: Catholic Perspectives In Valve Replacement Surgery For Those Who Use Intravenous Drugs, Kimberly Feeney, Robert Perkel, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: The incidence of infectious endocarditis has been increasing, particularly among those with a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU). Although current bioethics literature supports valve surgery as treatment for this patient population, clinical guidelines and literature continues to provide unclear recommendations for physicians. Catholic bioethics may provide a different perspective to re-contextualize the recommendations of secular ethics.

Methods: A PubMed search was used to gain background information regarding the incidence of infectious endocarditis and current treatment guidelines, as well as historical and current ethical considerations. Search terms included: “infectious endocarditis,” “IE,” “intravenous drug use,” “IVDU,” “ethics.” Related citations were …

The Shape Of The Filipino Church To Come: A Vision Of Renewal In Filipino Sacramental Worship, Michael Demetrius H. Asis

Theology Department Faculty Publications

What will it take to make sacramental worship finally inspire genuine Christian discipleship? This book offers a radical vision of renewing current Filipino sacramental understanding and practice. Grounded in a renewed vision of "church" consistent with Vatican II ecclesiology, this work examines the crucial link between worship and disciplehip, so that our prayer, whether private or public, truly becomes, now and in the future, the "source and summit" of all Christian life.

The Affectivity Of Good Teaching: Towards The Transformative Practice Of Possessing A 'Thinking Heart', Glenn Morrison

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

The aim of the article is to develop a phenomenological and theological approach to the affectivity of good teaching to foster a transformative practice of student engagement and awareness of the life of the soul as much as the mind and the heart. Drawing on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition’s search for truth in the context of the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, the article sets out to articulate what it means to possess a thinking heart of education by way of engaging seven transcendental imperatives: be spontaneous, be imaginative, be hopeful, be faithful, be pastoral, be not afraid, …

Catholicism And Politics In A Fallen World: Understanding Human Imperfection As Relates To Political Institutions, George J. Doyle

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

This thesis is composed of two primary parts, each involving discussion of Catholicism and political life. Part I critiques Thomas Aquinas’ theory of government in light of his theory of nature, with an emphasis on original sin as a defining attribute of the human person. The section concludes with an argument in favor of democracy rooted in Aquinas’s theory of human nature, as well as an understanding of the role of the Catholic Church in light of the claims made in this part of the thesis. Part II contains a political science study assessing factors that contribute to party identification …