Journeying with God: spirituality and participation in faith related activities among Catholic youth in Whangarei : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Social Work in the Social Policy and Social Work Programme, School of Health and Social Services at Massey University
Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis examines the spirituality and participation in faith-based activities of young \nCatholics in Whangarei, New Zealand. Six youth aged 16-17 years have shared their \nexperiences in several areas of Catholicism such as religious attendance, Catholic identity \nand Catholic faith, morals and values, peer group socialisation and religious commitment. \nUsing a qualitative mixed-methodological approach with the underlying philosophical \nstance of interpretivism, the intent of the study is to discover ways in which these young \nCatholics integrate their faith into their daily lives and make meaning out of it. It also \ncompares the religious beliefs and values of Catholic youth in Whangarei to those \nreported worldwide. \nThe findings reveal many similar themes to those from international studies. Although all \nof the participants in this study possessed a distinct sense of ‘spirituality’ and being \n‘Catholic’ was a very important part of their identity, not all of them seemed to consider it \npractical to live out their Catholic beliefs. Similarly, although they did not face any \ninsurmountable challenges in practicing their faith in daily life, only a few of them had \nstrong convictions about their faith and, like their peers in other countries, only a few \ncould concretely list the core Catholic beliefs. Concepts of moralistic therapeutic deism \nwere found to affect half the participants while nuances of moralistic relativism were also \nprevalent. Results also showed a growing disinterest in attending Mass, participating in \nthe sacrament of Confession, leading an active prayer life, being a part of church youth \nactivities and some difficulty in finding similar peer group support. Overall, the findings \npresented in this thesis suggested that the participants involved in the study could be \nseparated into two groups on the basis of their differing spiritual levels and commitment \nto the Catholic faith \nThe findings suggest a need for Catholic youth in Whangarei to be supported in their \nspiritual development in order to help them grow in their Catholic faith. Accordingly, the \nmain recommendations are for community-based services such as providing a variety of \nyouth programmes/groups to engage young people and finding ways to facilitate the \nsecure engagement of youth in a dialogue about their faith and religion, in order to \nspiritually encourage, nourish and sustain them at whatever stage they might be at.
Author: Trudy Dantis
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Massey University
OpenAlex ID: W101620792