Tricia C. Bruce, PhD

Sociologist. Author. Researcher. Speaker.

Tricia C. Bruce, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, a 2025-2026 Affiliate of the Center for the Study of Religion & Society at the University of Notre Dame, President-Elect of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and a six-time marathoner. She has served as President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, a papal-appointed consultor to the Synod on Synodality, and a tenured professor. She is the author of numerous award-winning books, articles, and reports in the sociology of religion and U.S. Catholicism.

Happenings

  • Podcast Appearance on You Have Permission

    Thanks to host Dan Koch for the invitation to join his podcast, You have Permission! Our hour+ conversation was multi-fold, leading with questions about what it means to stay in a religious tradition while still raising critiques and suggestions for… Continue reading

  • Seattle University Lecture & Discussions

    I thoroughly enjoyed my recent visit to Seattle University at the invitation of SU’s Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture. My invited lecture, “Scandal, Structure, & Renewal: Sociological Perspectives on Change in the Catholic Church” focused on how institutions shape… Continue reading

    Seattle University Lecture & Discussions

  • New Books Podcast Appearance

    Thanks to the New Books network of podcasts and host Crawford Gribben of Queen’s University Belfast for the opportunity to talk about my book, Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church. From the show summary:… Continue reading

  • Snapshot of Religion in the U.S.

    I enjoyed my conversation with Rev. Paul John Roach on the radio show/podcast World Spirituality, during which we discuss sociological dimensions of religion, Catholicism, social change, and more. Listen here, or on your favorite podcast player! Continue reading

  • Pre-order my newest book, American Parishes!

    The page proofs are in and the presses are underway…ready your bookshelves for my new coedited volume, American Parishes: Remaking Local Catholicism! This book is the product of the multi-year “American Parish Project” I co-led with Gary Adler and Brian… Continue reading

    Pre-order my newest book, American Parishes!

  • Mere Fidelity (Podcast Appearance)

    Check out my conversation with the team of podcasters from Mere Fidelity, in which we discuss changes in Americans’ religious affiliation, trust in authority, and the shape of contemporary local religious organizations. Continue reading

  • Heartbreak and Reminders from the Notre Dame Cathedral Fire

    Thanks to WBIR-Knoxville for the opportunity to join tonight’s 5pm newscast to think through the social impact of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire. Churches are carriers of culture and connective threads to our past. As many around the globe mourn… Continue reading

  • Filming with Spirit Juice Productions

    Happy to contribute a sociologist of religion’s perspective for a new documentary project shepherded by Spirit Juice Productions in Chicago. Meaningful conversations with a fun crew. Continue reading

    Filming with Spirit Juice Productions

  • Filming with Religion for Breakfast

    Thanks to a funded partnership through Sacred Writes and the Luce Foundation, Religion for Breakfast’s Andrew Henry joined me in my hometown of Knoxville for a drive-around and discussion of congregations, diversity, and the shape of local religion. Stayed tuned… Continue reading

    Filming with Religion for Breakfast

  • Talking “Cultural Catholics” on First Things (podcast)

    Listen to my conversation with Mark Bauerlein on the First Things podcast to learn more about the substantial swath of Americans who think of themselves as “partially Catholic” in some way, though not religiously. I draw upon data from the… Continue reading

engaging A Sociological Perspective

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