ABSTRACT
The Catholic stories interact with experiences of daily life—the stories are shared with spouse and children, attendance at Catholic schools of both parent and child, the appeal of the Catholic imagination, involvement in parish activities, membership in Catholic friendship groups, and approval of professionalism of clergy. The complex interaction of these influences and the stories about these influences are part of the glue that holds the Church together. In the battle between the Catholic heritage and other, seemingly more attractive and rational worldviews, for Catholics the playing field seems to be tilted. Images, relationships, and experiences all contribute to the tilt. In a possible but unlikely comparative study between Chicago, and let us say, Philadelphia, it would be interesting to learn whether the constraints to remain Catholic are as strong as they are in Chicago.
