STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH IN RELIGIOUS LIFE

STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH IN RELIGIOUS LIFE

There are painful and exciting times for religious congregations. We know they are painful – membership is down, vocations are down, all the old securities and assumptions have been cast into doubt. But exciting? Yes, says Fr. Arbuckle, in this study of how congregations can encourage new leadership and creative thinking to meet these challenges and serve God’s people. The result of his extensive study and experience, this book covers the three main questions facing religious congregations:
Why has religious life apparently collapsed after Vatican II?
How can congregations foster “refounders” to keep alive the charism of the original founders?
How can this be achieved in formation programs?
You may not agree with all of Fr. Arbuckle’s answers, but you’ll certainly find this book challenging and rewarding.

About the Author: Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, PhD, graduated in cultural anthropology from Cambridge University. He has served as a rector of a major seminary in New Zealand, as an assistant general of the Marist Fathers and Brothers in Rome, and as a cultural anthropology advisor to the Pontifical Commission on Religious Life in the United States. Currently the pastoral anthropology professor at the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila, he has written for several professional journals, lectured widely, and conducted sociological surveys of several provinces of religious congregations.