The Catholic Church in Canada experienced seismic shifts in the 20th century. Once a stronghold of national and provincial culture and life, the Church underwent a dramatic transformation, with decreased participation and a loss of social prominence. However, according to Reginald Bibby and Angus Reid, there’s evidence that we ought not despair. Rather, the Church is in a period of transformation, and there is hope. Drawing from a new cross-Canada survey of 3,000 Catholics, Bibby and Reid offer an insightful look into what lay Catholics believe and what draws women and men to the life of the Church.

Published by Novalis

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Reginald Bibby is one of the country's better known academics. Over the past four decades, he has been monitoring social trends in Canada through a series of well-known national surveys of adults and youth, in the process gathering pioneering and historic data on religion and young people. He holds the Board of Governors Research Chair in the Department of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge. Born and raised in Edmonton, he received a Ph.D. from Washington State University, an M.A. from the University of Calgary, a B.D. from Southern Seminary in Louisville, and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. In 2006, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the nation, the Governor General appointed him an Officer of the Order of Canada. He also is a 2012 recipient of the Diamond Jubilee Medal.