It’s no secret that the demographics of the American Catholic Church are changing rapidly and radically. The future of Catholic parishes depends on their ability to welcome and adapt.

On this episode, we speak with Candler School of Theology professor Susan Bigelow Reynolds, also a regular Commonweal contributor. 

Her new book People Get Ready: Ritual, Solidarity, and Lived Ecclesiology in Catholic Roxbury offers an ethnographic and theological deep-dive into how one small Boston parish has managed to revel in difference, rather than eradicate it. 

For further reading:

• Susan Bigelow Reynolds on the parish’s changing landscape
• Brett Hoover on the ethics of shared parishes 
• James Chappell on how the Church became modern