ly in the older cities of our country, have had an enormous impact on the life of the Catholic inner city parishes. (p. 1)
Although the problems facing inner city parishes will be discussed more fully in the proposal's review of the literature, it provides context here to briefly review them. These problems can be listed as follows:
(1) Losses of Clergy Outpace Ordinations. Copp (1990) has noted that there is a shortage of priests in the United States, most especially in the Southwest and the less populated states such as the Dakotas and Alaska; however, the shortage can also be found in some of America's oldest cities. Copp provides an example of the problem as it affects the city of Chicago, noting that in the 1960s, Chicago was a city where parishioners' needs were met by a large staff of priests and a number of supportive agents and agencies (e.g. convents, schools, etc.).
Today, however, the typical Chicago parish has one priest and a staff of laity, deacons, and nuns. According to Copp (1990), the shortage is due to retirement, death, and resignations of priests combined with low rates of ordination. Other factors affecting the shortage include diocesan priests in non-parish assignments and the availability of religious order priests.
2. Utilization of Catholic Educational Services By Substantial Numbers of Non-Catholics. According to Rath (1995), many inner city populations are comprised of substantial numbers, (often majorities), of black protestants. However, a large number of African-American parents elect to send their children to Catholic schools because the schools provide these students with an academically superior education at a cost below that of most private schools.
Insight into the nature of this situation is provided by Rath (1995) in her study of parental decisions to send their children to Catholic schools in the city of Chicago. Specifically, she discusses: (1) the social and religious...