Christopher A. Fallon, Who Do We Think We Are?: How Catholic Priests Understand Themselves Today (Ecclesiological Investigations) (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015), xiii + 248 Pps., $112.00
Christopher A. Fallon studied Theology and Pastoral Ministry in Durham and Denver (USA) before serving as a Catholic Priest in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, UK. This book relays the results of an empirically based study that explores how priests within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool understand their priesthood. Over the last 30 years, Fallon has been involved in ministry formation in a variety of settings, and he became curious about how the priests viewed themselves as priests, what motivated them, as well as how they viewed their ministry. This study is an outgrowth of an attempt to answer such questions. The primary research question of the study was “How do the priests currently ministering in the Liverpool Archdiocese understand their priesthood and how do their self-understandings influence the way they carry out their ministry?”
The research question became more sharply focused over the course of the study to a comparison between a study of priests in the United States that claimed that the presbyterate of that country is defined by the polarity between two models of ministry: the cultic model and the servant leader model; this study addresses the same polarity. Second, a different study suggested that these models of priesthood arose out of two differing theological worldviews about Catholicity, with one being more world-affirming (associated with Karl Rahner), and the other a more world-judging view (associated with Hans Urs von Balthasar). Third, Fallon queried whether the model of priesthood and the understanding of Catholicity each priests adopts might be influenced by his personality type. The nature of these questions lent themselves to the explanatory design of mixed methods research, which involves a type of grounded theory method in which evidence is gathered and analyzed, hypotheses are formed and tested, other questions come more sharply into view and further evidence is gathered where necessary to refine the hypotheses. Qualitative data for the research project herein detailed was gathered through interviews, focus groups, diaries, and a case study. . A survey of the literature was also conducted. Later on in the study, a quantitative element was added through a survey, which added new data.
The project concludes that the servant leader model and cultic models of priesthood are present among this sample of priests, but that the polarity is not as sharp as the American study. IT furthermore concludes that there are correlations between these models of priesthood and the two views of Catholicity referred to above. The project also reports the views of the participating priests on a number of developments in the Church post-Vatican II, detailing their hopes and concerns, and making recommendations to address these concerns. In the Introduction, Fallon reviews some of the changes in parish life in the Liverpool Archdiocese such as a decline in Mass attendance, fewer and older priests serving fewer active Catholics.
Liverpool’s history of expansion and decline is covered in chapter one. This chapter also sets out some themes in the history and culture of the Catholic community at Liverpool. Fallon details the history of the provision, financing and governance of the buildings and institutions of the diocese that has often reflected tensions between clergy and laity; it was the laity who principally ensured the survival of the diocese during penal times, but once the hierarchy was restored, the bishops were keen on re-establishing their control of the financial and administrative governance of the diocese. The presence of religious priests functioning in the parish setting is also a problem in this diocese.
Chapter two discusses the evolution and methodology of the project. From 2006 to its conclusion in 2012, Fallon’s study went through a number of significant changes in design, content, and projected timescale, and this chapter details such issues. This chapter also shows how the overall study relates to academic literature in several relevant fields such as demographic trends in the Catholic community, recent diocesan strategies in England and North America, theological worldviews and trends in the theology of ordained ministry, methodologies for qualitative research in practical theology, and previous studies of priests’ perceptions of their ministry.
The third chapter details how the interviews in the study were designed as semi-structured conversations in order to allow the participants to describe their views of priesthood, their priorities in carrying out their ministry, their hopes and concerns in relation to priesthood, and their attitudes toward post-Vatican II developments. This chapter describes the emergence from the initial analysis of the interviews of five theories relating to models of priesthood, views of Catholicity, personality types, and the differing experiences of religious and secular priests in parish ministry. Regarding the theories relating to models of priesthood, the polarity between the servant leader and cultic models of priesthood in the Liverpool study is much less marked than it is in the USA. Additionally, the divisions between adherents of these models of priesthood on attitudes to ontology, the Church’s magisterium and theology are more complex than commonly assumed. Further, the polarity between the two above-mentioned models of priesthood is related to a more fundamental divergence of theological stances toward the world and God’s action within it. Fourthly, that the models of priesthood and theological stances adopted by individuals are related to personality types oftentimes.
In the fourth chapter, Fallon details the personality inventory done in the study, as well as his probing of the participant’s views on stances in relation to servant leader and cultic models of priesthood and to the two contrasting views of Catholicity. Doing these things added a quantitative dimension to the study, Fallon notes. The results reported in chapter four detail how the survey both confirmed and refined the theories emerging from the analysis of the qualitative data. The data suggests that those priests who adopt the servant leader model of ministry are more likely to support the more world-affirming view of Catholicity, whereas those who purport to hold the cultic model of ministry favor the world-judging view of catholicity.
The final substantive chapter in the text is composed of conclusions on the theories and hypotheses that emerged from the study, and recommendations for further research by Fallon. There are six appendices. One details the research grant application, another recounts Archbishop Kelly’s address to permanent Deacons, and one is a copy of the survey sent to all participants in the study.