Encyclopedia of Religion
and Society

William H. Swatos, Jr. Editor

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CLEMENS, ALPHONSE HENRY
(1905-1977) Holding undergraduate and doctoral degrees from St. Louis University, Clemens directed the university's Department of Sociology and Economics from 1936 to 1946, when he moved to the Catholic University of America, where he taught until retirement in 1970. Ninth President of the American Catholic Sociological Society (1946).

In his ACSS presidential address, Clemens urged the application of sociology to solving social problems. In that speech, Clemens also warned of "the constant danger of Catholic sociologists becoming exclusively empirical and positivistic, or exclusively social philosophers"—reflecting a fear current in the ACSS. He contended that in tackling social problems, Catholic sociologists had the uniquely important responsibility of synthesizing not only the social sciences and social philosophy but "even theology" (American Catholic Sociological Review , 1947). His primary interests and publications were concerned with marriage counseling and family: Design for Successful Marriage, Marriage and Family: An Integrated Approach, Survey of the Cana Movement in the U.S. He promoted the Catholic Family Life movement, both as a member of its associations and as an editor for its publications.

Loretta M. Morris

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