Catholic families and their parishes

For the first time, we now have some information about the relationship between American Catholic families and their parishes from a number of empirical studies, conducted during the 1980s. These studies vary in scope, ranging from a national study of Catholic parish life to a small study of the relationship between families and their parishes in three suburban neighborhoods. As such, not all the data reported below is generalizable. But together, they draw an emerging picture to help us construct a model of three activities comprising the parish family ministry. After summarizing the information from the studies conducted in the 1980s, this article presents the three activities of the parish family ministry model: listening to families; initiating needed new programs for vulnerable families; and beginning a regular and systematic assessment of parish ministries from a family perspective, utilizing the process of family impact studies. The article concludes by describing the process of conducting such studies.