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 five-time marathoner. She served previously 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

  • Thinking about generations

    Sociologists and others sometimes refer to “generations” as a way to understand differences as they occur across age, life course, and cohort. What we experience and when (major events, rites of passage, trends in technology, etc.) can shape our attitudes… Continue reading

  • New Partnership with Sacred Writes & “Religion for Breakfast”

    Thanks to support from Sacred Writes (funded by the Henry Luce Foundation) I’m excited to be co-producing an original video for the popular YouTube channel, “Religion for Breakfast.” From the Sacred Writes website: “Religion for Breakfast is a YouTube channel… Continue reading

  • What are Personal Parishes?

    When I began my research on “personal parishes” in the Catholic Church back in 2010, the term was new to me…and I wasn’t alone. Many Catholics – well-informed lay and ordained, alike – aren’t aware of the term, which comes… Continue reading

  • The Louisville Institute’s Winter Seminar

    Each year, the Louisville Institute gathers grantees to meet, share progress on projects, and build supportive relationships. As a current recipient of the project grant for researchers, I was happy to participate in the 2019 Winter Seminar. This was my… Continue reading

    The Louisville Institute’s Winter Seminar

  • Guest appearance on “The Measure of Everyday Life”

    Thanks to Brian Southwell, host of the radio show / podcast “The Measure of Everyday Life” for our thought-provoking conversation about the changing context of US religion for young Americans. The focus moved from religion to the non-religious to millennials’… Continue reading

  • My new classroom

    Today marks the start of a new semester, but I’m not standing in front of the classroom…not this one, at least. After nearly a dozen years as a tenured professor at a small liberal arts college, I have resigned my… Continue reading

  • Girl Talk, Inc. Knoxville

    Thanks to Girl Talk, Inc. Knoxville for this kind shoutout, and for their powerful advocacy for young women! Proud to be joining their board of directors in 2019, in union with their mission of “empower[ing] girls to become their best… Continue reading

  • “Doesn’t God Dwell Here Anymore?”

    I recently traveled to Rome to join a gathering of representatives from several countries contemplating the question of what happens to decommissioned – i.e. closed – Catholic churches. Prompted by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, the international and multi-lingual… Continue reading

  • Call for Papers: Catholicism and Global Challenges

    Consider submitting a paper for inclusion in a session I am co-convening at the July 2019 meeting of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (Barcelona, Spain). Deadline December 16. Catholicism and Global Challenges (“Le catholicisme et les défis… Continue reading

  • Catholicism and Social Justice: A Panel on Texas Public Radio

    Thanks to Texas Public Radio for the invitation to participate in a panel discussion today on their live call-in show, “The Source.” The topic? Catholicism and social justice. “From immigration to human rights to race-motivated hate, how are religiously-affiliated people… Continue reading

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