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Students in Catholic schools make up a significant sub group of the Australian population. As such, studies of this group provide valuable information about the religious beliefs and practices of some Australian youth. Many students in Catholic schools express traditional religious views and have relatively high levels of religious behaviours. Over time these levels diminish but in a fashion that invites careful analysis and comparison with standard theories of secularisation. An important finding suggests that student responses are indicative of a loosening of religious affiliation rather than a complete disengagement. These results suggest a more nuanced view of students in Catholic school be adopted with implication for the conduct of Catholic schools in secular cultural contexts.

There are a range of communities within the Anglican communion that seek to maintain a more orthodox or Catholic emphasis. One of these is the Traditional Anglican Communion. In 2009 the Vatican announced a special accommodation to allow these Anglicans to enter the Catholic Church and to retain key aspects of their Anglican usage and practice. As such many of these communities have sought to formalise their links with Rome. At this important historical juncture this study utilises a qualitative narrative approach to explore the life histories of members of a small community of Canadian Traditional Anglicans. It explores in detail the salient beliefs of these individuals and as such contributes to the growing discourse on the importance of beliefs in the sociology of religion.

In 2008 Quebec introduced a new ethics and religious culture course. This marks a significant development in Canadian education as the mandated curriculum is intended for use in publically funded secular schools. In the past such courses have been in the domain of denominational schools. This new approach is examined in the context of the profound changes in Quebec society in recent years, typified by the sudden decline in the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. An overview of the curriculum is given, noting its basis as a particular type of phenomenological approach to the study of ethics and religion. The curriculum is analyzed against the theoretical perspectives developed by Moore and Wright. A number of issues on the scope of the study, the significant demands it places on students and teachers, and how it critically engages with religious truth claims are examined. (Contains 4 footnotes.)

Being highly active within a religious tradition has often been associated with an increased sense of well-being. In contemporary culture in much of the Western world, however, the level of engagement of young people, especially, within many religious traditions is declining. This paper will examine a number of factors associated with nurturing high levels of religious engagement and commitment. The overriding framework for this discussion is that if individuals see religious belief and practice as plausible, then they are more likely to become committed to them. No single factor is more important in encouraging and sustaining high levels of religious commitment than the support of a social network or community that upholds such plausibility. Such a community provides a strong affective experience, serves as a place for questioning, exposes youth to mentors, and establishes boundaries.

Why do adolescents and young adults lack a full and coherent understanding of a religion? This is a phenomenon of wide-ranging proportions. Using a cultural, theological, and philosophical analysis, the author argues that one important reason behind the lack of religious content knowledge is the reluctance of teachers to move beyond the experiential world of students. The explicit teaching of the content and practices of a religion is proposed. Without focused teaching, student learning is hampered and often becomes confused.

One of the claims of the post secular is that there is a renewed personal interest in religion. An important manifestation of this is, amongst other things, a rise in prominence of spirituality as a descriptor of the views of many young adults. Rather than being seen as a new category, however, phenomenon like the rise of spirituality can be explained by using secularization theory. If secularization is seen as a process it anticipates that religious views and practices, broadly defined, will persist but these will lack formative and directive power. In light of this, those involved in the theological education of young adults need to be mindful that many today are vulnerable to an uncritical acceptance of dominant cultural paradigms. This occurs especially when young adults do not experience communal support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the alternate accounts of the future trajectory of many younger Catholics and the implications that these have for pastoral planning in Australia. It highlights the Spiritual Quest Paradigm (SQP) in which many younger Catholics will be satisfied in searching and may adopt a closely committed sense of Catholic identity. It notes the Modified Secularization Theory (MST) which arose from abroad sociological literature on the place of religion in contemporary culture.

The article focuses on the growing range of reference of the new evangelization in wider contemporary Catholic discourse. It explores three publications, namely "Ecclesia in Europa" (EE), "Ecclesia in America" (EA), an "Ecclesia in Oceania" (EO), which focus on the concept of the new evangelization. It provides a brief comment on these publications that address the Catholic Church in each region. It relates that the comment will give a sense of the centrality of the new evangelization as an analytical tool in a number of cultural contexts.

The article discusses the author's view on the immediate future of Catholic Church in Australia. He presents a personal narrative of his experiences which attempt to offer both a sense of historical perspective and an entree into some of the complex issue that would shape the future of Catholicism in the country. He suggests that the future of the Catholic Church needs to enter a new phase. He believes that this phase would recognize that the challenges confronting the Catholic Church in these times are different from those of the immediate postconciliar period.

World Youth Day (WYD) beginning in 1985 and held internationally every two or three years is amongst the largest gatherings of young people in the world. In 1995, for example, the WYD held in Manila attracted over four million pilgrims. With a high level of participation as well as longevity WYD has become a significant social phenomenon, especially in an era where there is a sustained and widespread disaffiliation of youth from mainstream Churches. Participants at WYD are mainly Catholics although the invitation to take part is extended to all. There has been little empirical work on who attends WYD and their motivations for attending. This paper will report on research conducted on Australian youth who attended the 2005 WYD in Cologne. This research will use both quantitative and qualitative techniques to try and build up a profile of WYD pilgrims and explore some of their motivations for attending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author presents an argument on the key ideological issue that will form the immediate future of Catholicism throughout the world. He contends how are the teachings of the Second Vatican Council best appropriated. The author believes that a paradox comes out if the teachings of the Council were intended to make the Eucharist an even more important part of the life of the Catholic Church. He also posts an argument that the rapid decline in sacramental participation since the Council will somehow correct itself and no direct response is needed, although the Council did address the centrality of Eucharist in Catholic life.