Catholic schooling,the concept of laity,and the future church

The Catholic laity currently faces some concerns that are of importance to its future. The current decline and ageing of clergy affects the availability of sacraments and leadership. Moreover, the plurality of views among Catholics on ordination, ethical issues and Church governance suggests that controversy may accompany concurrent increased lay involvement. Finally, in recent years theorists have argued that the traditional establishment of clergy and laity as distinct categories unhelpfully sustains the laity in a passive role. So if the Catholic school wishes to respond to these challenges, it would be prudent to have some awareness of how Catholic school adolescents are currently establishing themselves within the Church. This paper uses semi-structured interviews with 16 Catholic high school students to focus on the questions of (1) what images and expectations adolescents have of the laity; and (2) how they respond to the fact of an ageing and declining clergy. These questions are coordinated so that conceptualising about the laity leads to indicating participants’ assumptions about the basis for any action in the Church, thus illuminating how one might think about Catholic education contributing to ecclesial structures.     

PERCEPTIONS OF THE ELDERLY AMONG MINISTERS AND MINISTRY STUDENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SEMINARY CURRICULA

The changing age composition of the American population has direct implications for clergy members. Despite older individual's high rates of involvement in religious activities and reliance on members of the clergy, most clergy members, both current and prospective, are not adequately prepared for ministry with older adults. In the present study, 754 ministers and 363 ministry students completed Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz I to determine their knowledge of the aging process and perceptions of the elderly. The results indicate that both ministers and ministry students are poorly informed about the processes and realities of aging. The main implication of the findings is that seminary curricula and continuing education offerings need to be infused with gerontological content so that members of the clergy can be better prepared for ministry to, and with, older adults.     

Reaching a decision to change vocation: a qualitative study of former priests’ experiences

The aim of this study was to explore experiences of Roman Catholic clergy who relinquish the priesthood. Ten former priests participated in semi-structured interviews that were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Overall, the study found that priests experienced needs and aspirations conflicting with their social role and the expectations made of them. They found making decisions about vocational change frustrating and stressful because of concerns about breaking community norms, fear of social stigma, and disbelief in their ability to cope in lay life. Specific guidelines for supporting priests through counseling psychologists are provided.     

THE USE OF THE STORY IN THE PROMOTION OF WORSHIP

This article consists of remarks made during a panel at the 2017 annual meeting of the Religious Education Association in St. Louis, MO. From his vantage point as a former law enforcement agent, the author explores issues of ethical dilemmas present in policing; the current situation of militarized police forces; community policing and its origins; and the shooting of a Black young adult, Michael Brown, by a White police officer in Ferguson, MO. Religious educators, clergy, and ethicists can take a hands-on role to encourage justice in policing by discouraging an us/them mentality and advocating for community policing.     

Action learning sets and social capital: ameliorating the burden of clergy isolation in one rural diocese

Rural clergy often lack colleagues and may struggle with isolation, especially if over-extended in multi-parish benefices. Theory suggests that this sense of isolation could be addressed by launching clergy action learning sets, which have the potential to establish a peer support network through the formation of social capital as a by-product of the pedagogical process. This case study looks at the effect of action learning set membership upon clergy involved in a new ministry development programme in one rural Church of England diocese. Markers of social capital (networks, norms and social trust) were found among set members, some of whom were prepared to draw on the new resource for assistance with problems, while others were ready to support such colleagues. Pre-existing support networks were one reason for clergy not intending to capitalize on the new links; another was the geographically dispersed set memberships. Geography may militate against exploiting social capital, but a distance of many miles between priest and trusted confidant can be advantageous. The study demonstrates that the notion that social capital formed through action learning will ameliorate isolation among some geographically scattered clergy is grounded not only in theory but also in practice.     

论室内设计的特点与原则

室内设计作为功能设计与审美设计相统一的构思与创意 ,具有鲜明的个性特征。探讨其设计特点不仅有益于加深对室内设计本质的认识 ,而且便于总结和概括设计原则 ,帮助设计师按室内设计规律进行创作。     

A situational crime prevention analysis of Anglican clergy’s child protective practices

To date, a predominant focus within the field of ‘clerical collar crime’ has revolved around institutional-level church responses to child sexual abuse events, survivors and offenders. Comparatively, little attention has been directed towards the micro-level and in particular, examining clerical responses to child sexual abuse. This article presents empirical findings concerning the ‘everyday’ child protective practices of Anglican clergy in the Diocese of Tasmania, Australia. Research data was acquired through open-ended qualitative interviews conducted with a sample of 34 clergy in a broader study of clerical culture, habitus and life amidst the ‘church abuse crisis’. The framework of Situational Crime Prevention is employed to evaluate the feasibility of clergy’s child-safe practices and comment on how these practices could be further altered through professional development. Research findings demonstrate that clergy possess an active awareness of risk, and execute a series of protective measures to minimise both sexual interactions with children and allegations of impropriety.     

‘We do not wish to be sofa cushions,or even props to men,but we wish to work by their side’: celebrating women as popular educators at the Anglican Church congresses 1881–1913

ABSTRACT

The Anglican Church congresses sought to foster relations between clergy and lay people. They promoted the Church as part of the social fabric of the nation with parades, civic receptions, services and public talks. Women were a presence at the congresses as platform speakers, organisers, hostesses and members of the audience. Congresses provided opportunities for informal collaborations and networking between organisations including the National Union of Women Workers, Mothers’ Union and Girls’ Friendly Society. Dedicated women’s sections from 1881 provided a space that was exploited by women activists seeking a voice in the public sphere. The congresses reflected a context of increasing professionalisation amongst women. This article celebrates the contribution made by women in the role of popular educators via congress platforms between 1882 and 1913. In addition, the article seeks to commemorate the unvoiced presence of working class women who engaged with the congresses as members of the audience.     

SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE LEADER‐BEHAVIOUR OF NIGERIAN COLLEGE PRINCIPALS

I believe that before all else, I am a reasonable human being just as your are–or at all events that I must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most people, think you are right, and that views of that kind are to be found in books. But I can no longer content myself with what most people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them.     

浅析中世纪英国什一税

什一税是中世纪基督教会重要的收入来源,也是堂区收入的主要构成部分,在当时起着维系堂区教堂、救济穷人及堂区教士生活的作用。它是中世纪人们担负的重要的税收之一,围绕着征收与逃税,教会与教徒之间存在着矛盾。研究什一税,我们可以了解当时信徒与教会的关系,并对当时的教会做更深入的了解。本文是从什一税发展、分类、分配及其导致的后果来略作分析,以了解当时英国教会的基层组织——堂区的什一税状况。     

Middle-class writing in late medieval London

This paper seeks to ascertain the attitudes to, and work on, English school boards of clergymen from the three main Churches which had taken an active interest in education in England in the nineteenth century – the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Were the clergy ‘the enemy within’, attempting to subvert the cause of non‐denominational education? Little has previously been written about this work. The research has used a variety of primary sources, among them annual HMI reports on the educational provision in their areas and the pronouncements made by the leaders of the three Churches about their own representations on the boards. A variety of qualitative data has been accessed on the clergy influence in certain areas in the North of England using extant school board managers’ minutes. The picture that emerges from the evidence studied is of a significant and growing influence for Anglican clergy in rural areas. They undoubtedly had self‐interests in their membership, to ensure religious teaching in schools, to protect their own institutions and in part to assert their own status within society. In large towns and cities, boards proved to be independent of clergy control, with much authority given over to the headteachers. Roman Catholic priests often became board members and in doing so were in a position to defend their own schools. Throughout, the one group that did not share the influence on boards was the Wesleyan ministers, who were constrained by their own itinerant ministry. It is hoped that this will encourage further studies of individual communities, where School Board Managers’ Minutes survive, to add further qualitative evidence and further analysis of the direct influence of the clergymen of the three Churches discussed.     

Religion in child sexual abuse forensic interviews

Religion is an under-studied factor affecting children’s sexual victimization and their willingness to discuss such experiences. In this qualitative study, 39 child forensic interviewers and child advocacy center (CAC) directors in the United States discussed religious influences on children’s sexual abuse experiences, their relationships to CACs, and their disclosures in the forensic setting. Participants reported both harmonious and dissonant interactions between religiously observant children and families on one hand and child advocacy centers on the other. Themes emerged related to abuse in religious contexts and religious justifications for abuse; clergy and religious supports for disclosures as well as suppression of disclosures; and the ways CACS accommodate religious diversity and forge collaborations with clergy. Participants discussed a wide range of religions. Recommendations for practice and research are included.     

Death education and attitudes toward euthanasia and terminal illness

The attitudes of a random sample of Cleveland clergy toward the experience of terminal illness and the circumstances justifying euthanasia are presented and analyzed. The clergy response patterns revealed that, although eager to prolong life as long as possible, terminally ill patients fear a prolonged period of illness more than death itself. They also agreed that most patients favor the disclosure of terminal illness. The clergy's response to a questionnaire exhibited a definite ranking (i.e., scaling) in the order of priority of the different circumstances justifying passive euthanasia. Using training in death counseling as a control variable produced sharper division in the response categories for each statement. The controversial nature of euthanasia and the problem of ascertaining the psychological needs of the terminally ill became more apparent with the group who had more training in death counseling. Interpretations of the findings are presented, and a need for a careful reexamination of the effects of death education on attitudes toward controversial subjects in death and dying is stressed.     

试论云南瑶族鬼魂崇拜的道教化

在道教信仰的影响下,云南瑶族的鬼魂崇拜不论是个体的祈神驱鬼,还是集体的驱鬼除邪,其宗教仪式、仪式主持者、祈祷的神祗、助其驱鬼除邪者等都已明显道教化,说明其原有的鬼魂崇拜已成为瑶传道教的一个重要组成部分.     

体验式培训的理论依据及价值

体验式培训在发掘和激发体验者潜能方面起到了积极的作用,它较之传统的培训具有独特的优势。体验式培训依托于辩证唯物主义、积极心理学（乐商)和体验式学习三种理论,它所体现的经济价值、教育价值、娱乐价值和实践价值是发展体验式培训的坚实基础。未来,创新将维护体验式培训行业的可持续发展。     

A Step towards Clerical Preferment: Secondary School Teachers' Careers in Early Modern Sweden

This article investigates the function served by embarking on a teaching career in the Latin school system for recruitment to the clergy in early modern Sweden. The study is restricted to the eighty‐nine teachers serving at Piteå Grammar School in Northern Sweden in the period from 1650 to 1849. The investigation pays considerable attention to the impact of the system of double evaluation of teaching merits that was introduced by the School Act of 1724. When applying for low‐ and medium‐rank pastorates, teachers' experience counted twice as much as ministers' did. The study examines how this system influenced the social recruitment of teachers to the Latin school, as well as the recruitment of teachers to clerical positions. The hypothesis is that the double evaluation system opened a career for candidates without a clerical background.

Aimed at compensating for low salaries and providing a secure old age, the double evaluation system should have encouraged the teachers to seek clerical promotion. By analysing the teachers' participation in synodal meetings, the study sheds some light on the question as to whether the teachers actually prepared their clerical careers when serving in school. However, the Latin school offered different opportunities for different categories of teachers. The principal and assistant principal were better paid than the ordinary teachers, and consequently the article pays special attention to differences in social background, study merits and career opportunities between the two categories. Furthermore, the status of the different teacher categories is related to the status of the ministry in order to explain why teachers stayed in school or changed careers.

The conceptual tools of this study were developed by Ralph H. Turner in 1960, when he discussed the differences between British and American educational systems. Contest mobility signifies an open and inclusive system, where elite status is granted to the most qualified contenders. Sponsored mobility refers to an exclusive system of controlled selection by which young recruits are inducted into the elite. In 1988, Anthony J. La Vopa showed that sponsored mobility dominated the clergy in eighteenth‐century Germany. This study investigates the recruitment policy of the Swedish clergy, with special reference to the role of the Latin school.

The Swedish clergy comprised one of the four estates of the national Parliament and, in order to maintain the status of the clerical estate, the clergy developed certain strategies. One strategy is manifested in clergymen's preference for taking ministers' daughters as their wives. Another strategy is indicated by a high rate of self‐recruitment, meaning that many clergymen were sons of ministers. From the perspective of the clerical estate's recruitment policy, the self‐recruitment rate is of vital importance. Ministers could promote their sons' clerical careers by tutoring them and employing them as curates and assistants. Sponsored by their fathers, the sons of the clergy most frequently managed to take a Master's degree, which was a formal requirement for receiving a pastorate.

Previous research has shown that the self‐recruitment rate was very high among the Swedish clergy. This is also the case with the Härnösand Diocese, where the city of Piteå was situated. In this huge diocese, covering the entire northern half of present‐day Sweden, the self‐recruitment rate was 40%, while 30% of the clergy came from the peasantry, and 25% from the “middle classes”. In comparison with Germany, the self‐recruitment rate was not conspicuously high, and taking into consideration the great contribution from the peasantry, the recruitment policy of the clergy in Northern Sweden qualifies for the designation contest mobility. Consequently, the Latin school system, through which all future ministers were prepared for their clerical careers, served as an open and inclusive instrument of recruitment.

There were huge variations in income between the two teacher categories, the principal earning between two and four times as much as his lower‐ranked colleagues. The difference in status is also indicated by the differentiated insurance contributions to the clergy's poor relief funds. An analysis of three different revisions of the size of the contributions from 1787 to 1806 shows that the teachers in grammar schools were usually divided into two different categories. The principal and assistant principal used to be placed among the higher clergy, while the regular teaching staff always belonged to the lower clergy.

The distinction between two categories of teachers is not founded only upon financial status; there was also a significant difference in study merits. Before 1724, nine of thirteen deputies and principals had taken their Master's degree, while only two of twenty‐two ordinary teachers held the same merit. After 1724, the difference is less remarkable. Obviously, the favourable system of merit evaluation increased the recruitment of teachers with Master's degrees.

The teachers of Piteå Grammar School did not have a clerical background as often as the clergy of Härnösand Diocese (27% and 39%, respectively). The teachers came more frequently from the “middle classes”, while the peasantry was more weakly represented. Consequently, the teachers' social backgrounds were more diverse and secular, especially after 1724. This leads to the conclusion that the grammar school served as an alternative career for those of a secular background.

The present study does not verify the hypothesis concerning an increasing transition from teaching to clerical positions after 1724. On the contrary, of a total of forty career changes, twenty‐two took place before 1724 and only eighteen after, a difference even more marked when related to the increasing number of teachers serving in Piteå Grammar School. Before 1724, three out of five teachers left school for a clerical position, while only one out of three shifted careers in the later period. No principals or assistant principals accepted lower clerical positions, and even most of the career‐changing staff were promoted to a vicarage, almost exclusively after 1724. Consequently, the double evaluation system seems to have offered staff teachers greater opportunities for receiving a vicarage.

Many teachers prepared their clerical careers when serving at school. They used to fill in temporarily for the clergy in Piteå parish, and in some cases they were on leave to serve as acting vicars in distant parishes. This means that ordination could be offered during teaching service, but many teachers were already ordained ministers before starting their teaching careers. The synod served as a meeting place for the teaching and preaching branches of the clerical estate. Well trained in theology and classical languages, the teachers often gave the Latin oration and served as opponents at the disputation over the synodal dissertation. During the nineteenth century their participation gradually declined, a development indicating the gradual separation of the clerical and teaching professions. The year of 1849 represented a milestone, when the double evaluation system was abandoned. At the same time teachers' salaries and retirement conditions were regulated. Secondary schools no longer served as waiting rooms for clerical promotion, and teaching was recognized as a profession in its own right.     

高校内部教育供给中存在的主要问题及对策研究

部分专业师资紧缺,专业老化,层次偏低,管理效益差,观念落后是当前高校内部教育供给中存在的主要问题.为此,需要加强教师队伍建设,正确定位专业、学科的类型和层次,更新办学观念,提高管理效益.     

古印度的种姓制与百家争鸣的出现

文章提出，由于婆罗门教僧侣的竭力维护，印度的种姓制度得到了充分的发展，并对印度社会肌体造成了极大的伤害，代级种姓民众反种性制的斗争促进了“百家争鸣”局面的形成，而在众多的反种制思潮中，释迦牟尼和他的宗教组织成为主流。