An upcoming lecture at St. Jerome’s University will give a glimpse into the role gender plays within the Catholic Church and how it’s adapted and expanded over time. 

Dr. Tricia Bruce will explore the ever-evolving roles of men and women in the Catholic Church March 21 by looking at and comparing the prospects and parameters of women’s leadership at two moments in the Church: following Vatican II in the mid-1960s and today. 

Bruce is a sociologist of religion with expertise in Catholicism and the contours of organizational, attitudinal and generational change. Sourcing from over 100 interviews that span her career, Bruce will draw connections between how the Church has changed over time in a data-centric yet personal way. 

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“There was an interest in especially pulling on some of the research connected to dimensions of gender in the work that I’ve done, both in terms of interviews with Catholic women who have served in various capacities in the Church, but also research that I’ve done with Catholic men who belong to the priesthood,” Bruce said. 

“There will be a thread of gender that comes through in terms of thinking about service to the Church and how Catholic parishes and organizations change through time.” 

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The event is part of the annual Lectures in Catholic Experience at St. Jerome’s University, the Catholic college federated with the University of Waterloo. These lectures tackle a variety of different challenges from a more Catholic-oriented focus.

One of the key moments Bruce is planning to touch upon is the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, which saw laywomen take on more advanced roles in the Church in the years that followed. She will also take a look at the formative years that university attendees may have gone through and explore how it can bring them toward the faith from a sociological and data-driven lens

“I’m thinking about how people come into their own call and vocation and how that looks different for men and for women based on the parameters of service within the Church,” Bruce said. “Many of the conversations that I’ve had with Catholics specifically through the years tie back to these formative periods of socialization, whether it was playing Mass in the backyard, beginning to see and understand oneself in a particular capacity or grandma taking them to church every weekend. So I do think there will be some connections to that in the lecture as well.” 

The current Synod on Synodality meetings in Rome have also delved into the role of women within the Church and although no official changes were finalized at last year’s meeting, it appears women’s roles could be on the verge of expanding within the Church, though not as priests. Pope Francis gave both women and lay people a vote on Church affairs for the first time as part of the Synod, with participants scheduled to meet for a final session later this year. 

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“The vast majority of lay ministers in the Church are women, and we’re talking vast. Over 90 per cent of the functions of the Church are currently being fulfilled by women who take on a particular character in the Church. Of course, we know also that the priesthood is the exclusive realm of men,” Bruce explained. “Although the Synod documents have raised this question (regarding an expanded role of women) within the context of mobilization or advocacy, some of my work historically has looked at how people understand the limits that might connect to issues of theology and doctrine.” 

Registration for Bruce’s lecture is at ticketfi.com/event/5218/lectures-in-catholic-experience-presents-dr-tricia-bruce. It is available in-person and online.