On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, the 19th Annual Anne Drummey O’Callaghan Lecture on Women in the Church will be delivered by Tricia Bruce, PhD, at Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business Event Hall. Dr. Bruce is a sociologist of religion and an award-winning author.  Her lecture, “Carriers of Catholicism: Agents of a Future Church,” is part of an annual series that honors the legacy of Anne Drummey O’Callaghan, a catechist, youth minister, advocate for the intellectually disabled, and director of religious education for the Diocese of Bridgeport.

In her presentation, Dr. Bruce will suggest to her audience that the relative stability of Catholics as a proportion of the U.S. population belies substantial change occurring within the Church. Through what and whom does the Catholic Church in America sustain this adaptation, and how? With a particular focus on women's roles, Dr. Bruce will consider  the carriers of Catholicism —organizationally, materially, and individually — that move the Church forward into the future.

Dr. Bruce’s award-winning books include Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church (Oxford 2017) and Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful is Changing the Church (Oxford 2011/2014). Her edited volumes include American Parishes (Fordham 2019) and Polarization in the U.S. Catholic Church (Liturgical 2016). She is an affiliate of the University of Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Religion and Society, has led research for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and is a frequent television, radio, and podcast commentator on religion and society.

The “Carriers of Catholicism: Agents of a Future Church” lecture by Tricia Bruce, PhD, is free and open to the public. It will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. in the Dolan School of Business Event Hall, Room L01, at Fairfield University, located at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. For more information, visit fairfield.edu/cs.