La Salle University La Salle University Digital Commons Th.D. Dissertations Religion, Department of Spring 2016 Plausibility of Decentralized Ecclesial Structures for a Post-Institutional American Catholic Church Jayne L. Wilcox La Salle University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/religion_thd Part of the Catholic Studies Commons Recommended Citation Wilcox, Jayne L., "Plausibility of Decentralized Ecclesial Structures for a Post-Institutional American Catholic Church" (2016). Th.D. Dissertations. 1. http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/religion_thd/1 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion, Department of at La Salle University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Th.D. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of La Salle University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. LA SALLE UNIVERSITY PLAUSIBILITY OF DECENTRALIZED ECCLESIAL STRUCTURES FOR A POST-INSTITUTIONAL AMERICAN CATHOLIC CHURCH A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY PROGRAM IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION BY JAYNE L. WILCOX PHILADELPHIA, PA APRIL 2016 APPROVAL PAGE Name: Jayne L. Wilcox Degree: Doctor of Theology Title of Thesis: “Plausibility of Decentralized Ecclesial Structures for a Post-Institutional American Catholic Church” Dissertation Committee: Mentor: Margaret McGuinness, Ph.D. La Salle University 1st Reader: Maureen O’Connell, Ph.D. La Salle University 2nd Reader: Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Ph.D. Manhattan College ii ABSTRACT Structural change is needed if the American Catholic Church is to navigate the changing postmodern landscape forged by the social and cultural forces of the twenty-first century.