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

  • Press Release about Parish and Place

    Maryville College has just published a press release about my new book, Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church. ********************** With more than 77 million Catholics, the U.S. Catholic Church is, now more than ever,… Continue reading

  • Knoxville Book Signing 9/30/17

    Join me at the Paraclete Catholic Books and Gifts (417 Erin Dr., Knoxville, TN) between 11am and 2pm on Saturday, September 30th for an author meet-and-greet for Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church! Continue reading

  • An American “Multiverse”?

    I enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with host Brandon Hollingsworth for this month’s “Dialogue” program on Knoxville’s NPR affiliate, WUOT. Alongside fellow panelists Dr. Aaron Astor (Maryville College historian) and Courtney Wright (University of Tennessee communication scholar), we discussed… Continue reading

    An American “Multiverse”?

  • Order Parish and Place Today!

    Oxford University Press, Amazon, and other sellers now have my newest book – Parish and Place – in stock! Time to order, read, react, share, and incorporate it into your classes and applied conversations! Here I am with the book… Continue reading

    Order Parish and Place Today!

  • TV appearance: Fewer Americans Saying “I Do”

    WBIR-Knoxville invited me to the station to comment on data showing that fewer Americans are getting married. View my live interview here. Continue reading

    TV appearance: Fewer Americans Saying “I Do”

  • Changing the parish to help keep unity in a changing Church

    Personal parishes sort and separate like-minded Catholics. There are now (by formal decree) personal parishes whose primary focus is social justice, the Traditional Latin Mass, charismatic Catholicism, Anglican Use, tourism, college ministry, and more. Read more in Part II of my… Continue reading

  • Download Parish & Place as an e-book

    The Kindle version of my new book, Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church, is now available! Hardback and paperback should be in stock any day now. Continue reading

  • Making Parishes Personal: Crisis Magazine story about my new book

    Read K. E. Colombini’s thoughtful piece in Crisis Magazine engaging ideas from my new book, Parish and Place: Making Parishes Personal I look forward to continuing the conversation as folks read my book in full (out by e-book now; hardback and… Continue reading

  • Crux Story about my new book (out soon!), Parish & Place

    Thanks to Fordham University professor / Crux columnist Charles Camosy for interviewing me about my forthcoming book, Parish and Place: Making Room for Diversity in the American Catholic Church. In this article (part I of II), we discuss how personal… Continue reading

  • Writing, and more writing…

    Summer time means writing time (actually, every season is writing season!). As I work to complete bigger projects this summer, here are links to a few smaller publications I’ve completed recently: My essay contribution to a review symposium of The… Continue reading

engaging A Sociological Perspective

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