Happenings
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AAR Panel on Applied Religious Studies
Great to connect with emerging scholars from the American Academy of Religion for a virtual panel on “Bridging Academy with Community.” Organizer Hans Gustafson brought together a great set of panelists with diverse experiences connecting their work on religion to… Continue reading
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ASR & Synodality in Commonweal
The Symposium on the Future of Catholicism, held alongside the meetings of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR), features centrally in an article written by Catholic journalist Heidi Schlumpf for Commonweal. Schlumpf draws out ways that synodality matters… Continue reading
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ASR 2025 in Chicago!
Wonderful to gather in Chicago with colleagues and new connections for the 2025 meetings of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR). I was honored to serve as ASR’s 2024-2025 President, delivering this year’s Presidential address. The gathering also… Continue reading
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Forum on the Future of Catholicism at ASR 2025
As current President of the Association of the Sociology of Religion (ASR), I’m thrilled to be co-organizing a forum within this year’s ASR conference on “The Future of Catholicism: Roots and Trajectories.” Thanks to the University of Southern California’s Institute… Continue reading
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SSSR Webinar –From Francis to Leo XIV: Looking into a Post “Who Am I to Judge” Catholic Church
Prompted by insightful (and award-winning!) analyses by my doctoral student Lucas Sharma, SJ, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) hosted a webinar inviting reflections on transitions in the papacy, attitudes toward homosexuality, and the priesthood. The full… Continue reading
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Guest Panelist on “Inside Tennessee”
I was back in the studio with WBIR as a panelist for the Sunday morning show “Inside Tennessee” this week, contemplating the election of Pope Leo XIV and future of the Catholic Church. While much remains to be seen regarding… Continue reading
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Interview on the Election of Pope Leo XIV
Everything is new and little is known — but what an exciting moment to be a sociologist of religion attentive to changes in the US and global Catholic Church. Having shared space, croissants, and company with Cardinal Robert Prevost during… Continue reading
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RRA Spotlight on Applied Social Science Research in Catholic Contexts
The Religious Research Association (RRA) does much to support scholars connecting work to applied contexts, extending the relevance of research to policy and practice. I enjoyed the opportunity to share some of own experiences bridging scholarship to application in a… Continue reading
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Mourning Pope Francis
We knew the day would come eventually — and how perfect that it came on Easter Monday — but the death of Pope Francis broke my heart, all the same. I treasure the opportunity I had to interact with him… Continue reading
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Four-Part Series on My Experience of the Synod on Synodality
My four-part essay series reflecting on my experience as Consultor to the global Synod on Synodality is live, posted on the newly debuted “Engaging the Divides” forum for USC’s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies. Across the collection, I contemplate and… Continue reading








