The image of the “cafeteria Catholic”—one who blithely picks and chooses those doctrines that suit him—is a staple of American culture. But are American Catholics really so nonchalant about how they integrate the ancient devotional practices of Catholicism with the everyday struggles of the modern world? For this book 300 intensive interviews were conducted with members of six parishes to explore all aspects of this question. The book acts as an act of listening that allows ordinary Catholics to speak for themselves about how they understand their faith and how they draw upon it to find purpos ... More

The image of the “cafeteria Catholic”—one who blithely picks and chooses those doctrines that suit him—is a staple of American culture. But are American Catholics really so nonchalant about how they integrate the ancient devotional practices of Catholicism with the everyday struggles of the modern world? For this book 300 intensive interviews were conducted with members of six parishes to explore all aspects of this question. The book acts as an act of listening that allows ordinary Catholics to speak for themselves about how they understand their faith and how they draw upon it to find purpose in their lives. Many American Catholics, the book shows, do indeed have an uneasy relationship with the official teachings of the Church and struggle to live faithfully amidst the challenges of the modern world. But the book finds that it is a genuine struggle, one that reveals a dynamic and self-aware relationship to the Church's teachings.