Bishop Kicanas receives award for advancing research in the Church

 

Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas was recognized by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a Catholic organization that conducts research into questions that are pertinent to the Church. 

 

Each year, CARA gives two awards and, this year, the organization selected Bishop Kicanas as the recipient of the Richard Cardinal Cushing Medal for the Advancement of Church Research, for those who support the importance of research in the Church. 

 

For nine years, Bishop Kicanas served on CARA’s board of directors as the board chair, a position which is always held by a United States bishop. “It was a wonderful time and beautiful experience serving on the board,” shared Bishop Kicanas. “One of the major things we did was hire the man who is now CARA’s executive director, Rev. Thomas Gaunt, SJ. He has done a great job in enhancing and developing the organization. He’s done very well!” 

 

CARA is one of the few research organizations connected to the Catholic Church. “CARA is going international now, trying to help groups establish research centers in different countries,” said Bishop Kicanas. “There are very few research centers connected to bishops’ conferences as ours is, which helps people who are in administrative roles like bishops and dioceses to understand some other questions that we’d like better information on.” 

 

Research topics include tracking rises and falls in the number of candidates for the priesthood, the future of religious sisters, and determining why people don’t go to church. CARA conducts research and publishes monthly reports and books on its findings. Additionally, CARA can be commissioned to conduct research for dioceses, parishes, and schools to help gain local, unbiased perspective into topics like priest morale. “Sometimes we can believe something is happening when in fact it isn’t. Or we interpret and share opinions, but CARA looks at the actual data,” said Bishop Kicanas. 

 

“It’s extremely helpful for bishops and others to be able to see and understand what is happening on the ground and what the reasons are for what is happening,” he said. “Unless we understand what is happening in society, it is very difficult to really understand a situation. Research helps us understand what is really going on.” 

 

The award ceremony was held on November 14, 2024, at the residence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. “It was enjoyable seeing some of the people I haven’t seen in a long while, who are still part of CARA or are supporters of CARA,” shared Bishop Kicanas. “It was nice to receive an award from CARA, since I had done some research and saw the importance of research and trying to understand reality. My doctorate was in educational psychology; I did the research project for the doctorate, and I have always been interested in research. That’s why I was really happy to receive the invitation to serve as CARA’s episcopal board chair.” 

 

More information about CARA and the research they have conducted can be found at cara.georgetown.edu.