Children, Careers, and Clergy Life: Predictors of Religious Commitment From Stressors Among Catholic Deacons

ABSTRACT

We assessed the impact of clerical and life stressors on the religious commitments of employed, married with children Catholic deacons (n = 317 men: M age = 43.87 years old). Independent of social desirability, stressors during the last 6 months predicted separately intracommitment and intercommitment variables. Enthusiasm for church work and time spent on spiritual reflection predicted religious intracommitment (one’s relationship with a higher power, God); study of Scripture predicted religious intercommitment (one’s relationship in community reflecting God’s presence). Results suggest that despite current stressful life demands of marriage and family plus outside employment, Catholic deacons (“clergy dads”) maintained religious beliefs.

KEYWORDS:

• Catholic deacons
• life/clergy stressors
• religious commitment

Funding

This project was funded in part through a DePaul University 2013–14 Research Council Grant awarded to the author for a sabbatical. Gratitude is expressed to Deacons Gerald Dupont, John Freund, and other directors of the National Association for Deacon Directors who supported the participation of their deacons and candidates in this project.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded in part through a DePaul University 2013–14 Research Council Grant awarded to the author for a sabbatical. Gratitude is expressed to Deacons Gerald Dupont, John Freund, and other directors of the National Association for Deacon Directors who supported the participation of their deacons and candidates in this project.