The Spirit's Tether Family, Work, and Religion among American Catholics

Cultural conflicts about the family - including those surrounding women's social roles, abortion, same-sex marriage, and contraception - have intensified over the last few decades among Catholics, as well as among Americans generally. In fact, they are the source of much of the political polarization we see. But how do individuals in local settings and cultures - especially religious ones - experience and participate in these conflicts? Why are they so resonant?

By exploring how religion and family life are intertwined in local parish settings, Mary Ellen Konieczny seeks to explain how and why Catholics are divided about the family. The Spirit's Tether presents a detailed comparative ethnographic analysis of the families and local religious cultures in two Catholic parishes, one conservative and one progressive. Through an examination of the activities of parish life and the faith stories of parishioners, this book reveals how parishes support and shape the ways in which Catholics work out the routines of marriage, childrearing, and work-family balance, as well as how they connect these everyday challenges to public politics. Local parishes, Konieczny argues, promote polarization through practices that unintentionally fragment the Catholic tradition.

Mary Ellen Konieczny is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Faculty Fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame. Her research interests revolve around the broad themes of religion and family life and religion in American democracy, and in how culture in local contexts intersect with discourse and politics in the public sphere.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part 1: The Churches
Chapter 1: Worship
Chapter 2: Belonging

Part 2: The Families
Chapter 3: Marriage
Chapter 4: Children
Chapter 5: Work

Conclusion: Religion, Moral Polarization, and the Fragmentation of Tradition Tables
Bibliography