The Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College seeks to be a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States by engaging critical issues facing the Catholic community. Drawing from both the Boston College community and others, its activities currently are focused on four challenges: handing on and sharing the Catholic faith, especially with younger Catholics; fostering relationships built on mutual trust and support among lay men and women, vowed religious, deacons, priests, and bishops; developing an approach to sexuality mindful of human experience and reflective of Catholic tradition; and advancing contemporary reflection on the Catholic intellectual tradition.

History  The Church in the 21st Century Initiative began in September 2002, and was originally conceived as a two-year project to explore the problematic issues highlighted by the sexual abuse scandal in the church. Boston College offered symposia, lectures, conferences, published papers, and other resources to assist the church negotiate the movement from crisis to renewal.

Focal issues  The Church in the 21st Century focuses on four major areas:

• Sharing the faith with the next generation

• Roles of lay men and women, vowed religious, priests, and bishops

• Sexuality in the Catholic tradition and contemporary culture

• The Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Project activities  Activities include conferences, public lectures, publications, video and audio streaming resources, reading lists, and programs for Boston College students, staff, faculty, alumni and the general public. Access to Church in the 21st Century activities and resources will be extended by the use of modern technologies.

Organization  The project organization includes an Advisory Committee composed of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, a Steering Committee drawn from the Advisory Committee, and selected subcommittees focusing on specific issues or activities.

Boston College is a highly selective, Jesuit, Catholic university enrolling 14,500 students in the arts and sciences, management, nursing, education, law, and social work. Founded in 1863, the University ranks among the nation's elite and is located on a 156-acre campus, six miles from the center of Boston. Read more about Boston College.