To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Catholic church, customs and practices.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Catholic church, customs and practices'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 23 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Catholic church, customs and practices.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Lafferty, David M. "Constructing priests' spiritualities fashioning spiritual practices and integrating spirituality in the lives of Roman Catholic diocesan priests in the United States /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1997. http://www.tren.com.
Full text
2
Hughes, Trystan Owain. "The Roman Catholic Church and society in Wales 1916-62." Thesis, Bangor University, 1998. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-roman-catholic-church-and-society-in-wales-191662(43b193f0-fb93-4635-9446-d45abd9e9545).html.
Full textAbstract:
The progress of the Roman Catholic Church in Wales under a succession of able bishops between 1916 and 1962 was striking. The Church grew in strength, stature, and confidence. The expansion in the number of its adherents was largely due to continuing immigration from Ireland, England and the Continent. Although conversions from among the native population certainly occurred, they helped the Catholic cause only minimally. Furthermore, like the other Welsh denominations, the Church found itself in a constant struggle to retain its existing faithful. The growth of the Church in the Principality was one of the primary reasons why hostility and prejudice against Catholicism continued unabated down to the early 1960s. At a local level, the initial opposition to the re-emer gence of Catholicism was undramatic and soon subsided. In the wider sphere, however, animosity remained virulent. In denominational newspapers and conferences, ministers, clergymen and prominent laymen revealed deep anti-Catholic dispositions. Many reacted directly to the growth of the Church by warning fellow Welshmen of the insidious intentions of Rome and its Fascio-political threat. Others vehemently attacked Catholic belief and practice. The Catholic Church's unceasin g attempts to establish its own educational system in Wales became an ideal channel into which these prejudices were directed. While hostility remained fervent throughout the period, underlying_ it was the clear, yet gradual, acceptance of the Roman Catholic Church by the people of Wales. By 1962 the Church had achieved an accepted, and indeed revered, position among the Welsh denominations. The effect of increasing general tolerance, the wide-scale adoption of ecumenical ideals, and respect both for individual Catholics and for their promotion of social, moral and cultural issues, all helped transform the attitude of Welsh society towards the Church.
3
Lee, Christine Shen-Chirng. "The power and the glory : belief, sacramentality and native Andean Catholic priests in Talavera, Peru." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16549.
Full textAbstract:
In Talavera, a small town in the rural south-central Peruvian Andes, Catholicism is deeply rooted in local institutions, society and history. I explore Talaveran Catholicism primarily through the eyes of the priests and the core parish community, and in doing so seek to contribute to the anthropology of Christianity, including the anthropology of Catholicism, and the anthropology of the Andes. Engaging with dominant models in the anthropology of Christianity of Christianity as a religion of conversion and radical discontinuity, I argue that in Talavera, such models no longer ring true for local Catholics: instead, Christian conversion is long forgotten and taken for granted, while Christianity is an important source of continuity with the past. This is related to the activities of the current generation of Catholic priests in Talavera, who are locally native and who by and large tend to be more sympathetic to local Andean Catholic traditions as a result—but without subscribing to dominant anthropological framings for pro-Andean sentiment. Instead, I draw on David Brown's formulation of Christian tradition to argue for a new anthropological model views the ‘syncretic' aspects of Andean Catholicism as simply part of Catholicism in general. Following the emphasis on incorporating theology, I subsequently argue that we need to take seriously Catholic notions of sacramentality as an ontological transformation—a theme throughout the majority of the thesis. I argue that sacramentality underlies how Catholic priests can be simultaneously divine and human through the sacrament of ordination; structures clerical-lay relations in Catholic parishes by creating the space for lay assistants to carry out the work of priests without becoming priests themselves; and causes membership of the Catholic Church, thereby leaving belief to carry out the work of improving, rather than effecting, one's Catholic-ness.
4
Hartel, Heather A. "Producing Father Nelson H. Baker the practices of making a saint for Buffalo, N.Y. /." Diss., University of Iowa, 2006. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/59.
Full text
5
Haynie, Kathleen Louise. "A Good Mormon Wife." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1119.
Full textAbstract:
Within the Mormon culture, women are expected to marry, raise children, and be a "helpmeet" to their husbands. Both men and women are taught that they cannot attain the highest degree of heaven unless they are married in a Mormon temple, where they have been "sealed for time and all eternity." Although neither one can achieve this lofty goal without the other, and although there are some aspects of the Mormon culture in which there is a fair degree of equality between men and women, there is no denying that this is a patriarchal culture. Men hold the priesthood and they preside in their homes. The woman is the man's companion and counselor. Kathy Haynie converted to Mormonism when she was just eighteen, and she met and married her husband only two years later. She is committed to her religion and to her new family, and so she is as surprised as anyone when she begins to chafe under a manipulative and controlling husband. She is naive and credulous, and so she assumes that she needs to pray more, keep her mouth shut, and endure to the end. All of that changes when she attends a week of outdoor training for Boy Scout leaders, where she is one of only a handful of woman, and the only woman in her training patrol. Near the end of the week, Kathy realizes that she has been ignoring a self she has held within for fifteen years. Torn between her love of her children and her commitment to stable family life, and the increasing need she feels for genuine companionship, Kathy navigates the uncertain realm of friendship with one of her scouting friends. We watch her blossom as she gains confidence and skills to take her family out into the wilderness at the same time that she is deluding herself about her involvement with her friend. Family, faith, and friendship collide in this memoir of a Mormon wife and mother.
6
Schell, Sarah. "The Office of the Dead in England : image and music in the Book of Hours and related texts, c. 1250-c. 1500." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2107.
Full textAbstract:
This study examines the illustrations that appear at the Office of the Dead in English Books of Hours, and seeks to understand how text and image work together in this thriving culture of commemoration to say something about how the English understood and thought about death in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Office of the Dead would have been one of the most familiar liturgical rituals in the medieval period, and was recited almost without ceasing at family funerals, gild commemorations, yearly minds, and chantry chapel services. The Placebo and Dirige were texts that many people knew through this constant exposure, and would have been more widely known than other 'death' texts such as the Ars Moriendi. The images that are found in these books reflect wider trends in the piety and devotional practice of the time. The first half of the study discusses the images that appear in these horae, and the relationship between the text and image is explored. The funeral or vigil scene, as the most commonly occurring, is discussed with reference to contemporary funeral practices, and ways of reading a Book of Hours. Other iconographic themes that appear in the Office of the Dead, such as the Roman de Renart, the Pety Job, the Legend of the Three Living and the Three Dead, the story of Lazarus, and the life of Job, are also discussed. The second part of the thesis investigates the musical elaborations of the Office of the Dead as found in English prayer books. The Office of the Dead had a close relationship with music, which is demonstrated through an examination of the popularity of musical funerals and obits, as well as in the occurrence of musical notation for the Office in a book often used by the musically illiterate. The development of the Office of the Dead in conjunction with the development of the Books of Hours is also considered, and places the traditions and ideas that were part of the funeral process in medieval England in a larger historical context.
7
Moollan, Barbara Allison. "Sacramental symbols and the oral tradition." Thesis, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/6168.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation is an attempt to draw a connecting link between Marcel Jousse's theory of MIMISM as found in his book The Oral Style and the symbols used when celebrating four of the sacraments celebrating in the Roman Catholic Church. These symbols are water used in the sacrament of baptism, the bread and the wine as used in the celebration of the Eucharist, and the oil which is used in the sacraments of Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick. Jousse was the first anthropologist to discover that all action or gestes as he called it, is constantly being replayed and re-enacted by man. The second chapter in this thesis will give a comprehensive summary of this theory of MIMISM. Since man is constantly
attempting to get closer to God whom he falls short of when he sins, this practice of the sacraments is a means of getting man back in touch with God and the symbols used in this procedure is what actually makes it real.
After a chapter on symbolism and the role that symbols play in the
celebration of sacraments, the next chapter deals with the rites, rituals and religion in society. It is the symbols together with the rights, that in effect bridge the relationship between God and man. The final chapter then looks into the symbols themselves, which are oil, water and the Eucharist and fits the entire subject into perspective.Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1994.
8
Jili, Bongani Vitus. "Premarital and extra-marital sexual practices amongst some modern Zulus : an ethical response from a catholic perspective." Diss., 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17013.
Full textAbstract:
There is a rise in premarital and extra-marital sexual relations amongst some
modern Zulus. The causes of this rise include the perpetual childhood of women in
society and the political and socio-economic setting in South Africa. The results of
this rise include teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
In Zulu traditional sexual practice the publicity of love affairs curbed sexual
promiscuity. Many people were involved in the love affairs of young people. This
tradition broke down because of the political, religious and socio-economic changes
in South Africa.
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is sacred; it is an institution of God, a
sacrament. Therefore premarital and extra-marital sexual relations taint the integrity
of marriage.
A number of things can be done to alleviate the problem of premarital and extramarital
sexual promiscuity. These include: changing the political and socio-economic
structures of our country; empowering women; inculturation; and changing the
pastoral attitude of the Church towards sexuality.M.Th. (Theological Ethics)
9
Long, Sarah Ann. "The chanted mass in Parisian ecclesiastical and civic communities, 1480--1540 : local liturgical practices in manuscripts and early printed service books /." 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3337851.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008.Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4180. Adviser: Herbert Kellman. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 291-320) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.
10
Wustenberg, Michael. "The big things bowed : the community ministry of Catholic funeral leaders in a rural South African context." Thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16502.
Full textAbstract:
Funeral leaders share the ministry of comfort with others. They make a specific religious contribution towards restoring life or decontaminating from death, which affects the faith and hope of the bereaved. Their ministry responds to a need of the bereaved by
affirming community in the face of death. It is based on spirituality and grounded in the biblical and apostolic tradition; it is carried out in a catholic contextualisation. The leaders' insertion into both the cultural background and the religious realm encourages
contextualisation. Their verbal proclamation is done in various ways and is linked to ritual. It reflects the three dimensions of the model employed in pastoral theology by taking life seriously, interpreting it in the light of faith, and leading a celebration that opens up the future of the participants. The leaders' proclamation is sincere when they link cultural family-procedures and church rituals in a parallel way. Sincerity suffers when community leaders, used to provide a comprehensive service, cannot preside over the promised celebration of the Eucharist, which could be the culmination of the rite of passage. Their ministry remains incomplete because of factors beyond their
control. It nevertheless contributes to justice in many ways, in particular by deploying local people. While the ministry is carried out independently, it depends on collaboration with the pastoral staff, in particular the priests. They safeguard the quality of ministry by
formation and through supervision. The collaborative formation contributes to the cultural insertion of the local and expatriate staff and enhances their competence. This collaborative ministry serves the bereaved, the community of faith, and theology. It allows the development of a contextualised liturgy, and a local theology. It is a step forward on the road towards a genuine form of community ministry in this particular African context. It corresponds with contemporary secular approaches towards leadership and management. African approaches emphasise the need for
contextualised management forms. They assume the compatibility of different practices employed in different contexts. The comprehensively grounded ministry seems to contribute to the avoidance or overcoming of some of the grave shortcomings of
ministry as provided in the past.Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
D.Th. (Missiology)
11
Valora, Amanda. "Food storage practices within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints : an ethnographic comparison of discourses." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/33766.
Full textAbstract:
Personal preparedness and self-�����reliance have been themes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-�����day Saints since its early days as an organized religion. These themes are still strong and vibrant today and one of their key aspects is the practice of food storage. Personal and familial preparation for problems that may be encountered in the course of life are an integral part of the discourse around food storage, as well as the need to be obedient to the admonitions of their church leaders. Though most informants involved in this study would agree that obedience is a key aspect behind their keeping of
a storage, there is great variation in their commitment and interpretation of the "Word" as they see it pertaining to their own families. Other key themes that emerged from the data were that a food storage offers peace of mind and security, and that it will be needed to help others as well as their own families. These themes and others are what comprise the Unofficial Word of food storage.
This thesis specifically presents research on the differences between the Official and Unofficial Word as they pertain to the practice of food storage by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-�����day Saints. As the practice of food storage among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-�����day Saints has not been previously studied anthropologically, this thesis will attempt to show how an overarching hierarchy, such as religion, can so deeply affect the way people view, think about, and practice common tasks such as food choice, food consumption, and food preservation.Graduation date: 2013
12
Clarke, Jeremy. "There's something about Mary : images and identities in Chinese Catholic communities." Phd thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151101.
Full text
13
Duke, Zachariah P. "A critical analysis of a theology of disability in the Australian Catholic Church: a qualitative study into contemporary inclusionary practices." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1308110.
Full textAbstract:
Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)This thesis examines the role of the Australian Catholic Church, its leaders and its relevant agencies and organisations in advocating for and welcoming people living with a disability into the life of the Church. It is intended that this thesis will go beyond issues of accessibility and definitions of “disability” and instead explore developments and tensions in the Australian Catholic Church’s response to issues of disability. It is clear from the literature and the qualitative interviews examined throughout this thesis that, at the rhetorical level, the Australian Catholic Church accepts, welcomes and advocates for all people regardless of their intellectual or physical abilities. This inquiry seeks to investigate the relationship between this rhetoric and actual substantive efforts towards inclusion of people living with a disability. It finds, based on the lack of substantive evidence revealing actual inclusionary practices, that there is a significant contradiction between the policy rhetoric and practice. To this end, it will be argued that the Australian Catholic Church is not engaged in sufficient practical action to foster and support communities to genuinely welcome people living with a disability and to enhance their sense of belonging to such communities. While acknowledging some good work being conducted by individual Church agencies, based on the evidence accrued from the qualitative data gathered for this thesis, it is the contention of the researcher that there are few tangible, consistent or concrete strategies or actions towards inclusion and genuine belonging that one can point to in day-to-day practice in the Catholic Church community. It is a central concern of this research to open up a conversation, dialogue and debate that might bridge the gulf between the policy rhetoric and practice, and so foster more positive inclusionary approaches and substantive change in this area of Catholic Church life.
14
Siwila, Lilian Cheelo. "Culture, gender, and HIV and AIDS : United Church of Zambia's response to traditional marriage practices." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/3466.
Full textAbstract:
In the wake of HIV and AIDS in Africa, culture has been identified as central to HIV
prevention, care, and support. Therefore, scholars have argued that HIV intervention in
communities should focus on cultural practices rather than just individual behaviour.
Researchers have also taken note of the interconnectedness between religion and culture in
Africa. Therefore the African theologian, Mercy Oduyoye, proposed the term ‘religioculture.’
In the light of this connection, it has become crucial to examine not just cultural
practices but the response of religion to cultural practices in the context of HIV. Given that
Zambia is a Christian country, this qualitative empirical study sought to examine the response
of a church, the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), to traditional marriage practices that I
consider to be harmful in the context of HIV. Traditional marriage practices such as child
marriage and widowhood inheritance were analysed through gendered theological
perspectives. The study was located in the United Church of Zambia in the towns of Mufulira
and Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The reason for choosing the practices of
widowhood inheritance and child marriage as the areas of focus was twofold: first,
throughout history and in the current context, the church and society’s perception of these
two practices has been ambiguous. Depending on the time and event in history, the practices
were seen as either a norm or a problem. In this study, I have questioned the extent to which
this historical ambiguity towards these traditional marriage practices has contributed to the
way in which the church today is responding to these culture practices. The second reason for
choosing these two marriage practices was to highlight how the institution of marriage has
been challenged in the context of HIV and AIDS. When marriage ceases to be a safe practice
for couples, how should the church respond to the harmful cultural practices associated with
marriage, especially in the context of HIV and AIDS? The question that this study posed,
therefore, was: What role has the United Church of Zambia played in either promoting or
discouraging harmful marriage practices in the context of HIV and AIDS?
The methodology used to answer this question included: semi- structured interviews, openended
in-depth interviews, Contextual Bible Study, and focus group discussions as forms of
data collection from: church leaders, lay people, widows, girls involved in child marriage,
and members of the Marriage Guidance Committee. Thereafter, the data was thematically
ii
analysed using the theory of African feminist cultural hermeneutics. The study is divided into
eight chapters, each chapter answers one of the objectives of the study.
Through the use of the tools for data collection stated above, the study drew a number of
conclusions. Firstly, it was established that indeed child marriage and widowhood inheritance
are contributing factors to the spread of HIV. Secondly, the Marriage Guidance Programme
of the United Church of Zambia was identified as a point of entry in re-examining the
theology of marriage that is contextual and holistic in the United Church of Zambia. Thirdly,
the church’s ambivalence with regard to harmful marriage practices in the context of HIV and
AIDS was attributed to people’s belief systems about their cultures which are embedded in
their worldviews. Overall, the study has shown that there is a need for an analysis of culture
within the church which can enable it to respond to harmful cultural practices in the context
of HIV.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.
15
Bhasera, Michael D. "The challenges of evangelizing the African Christian family in the light of 'Familiaris consortio'." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/3258.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis falls under Missiology. Its main objective is to investigate the challenges of evangelizing the African Christian Family in the light of'Familiaris Consortio. J The thesis is unique by virtue of its contextualization. It targets the people who occupy Gokwe diocese,
one ofthe eight dioceses in Zimbabwe. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The First Chapter looks at the location and family
life in Gokwe diocese. In this chapter, special attention is given to the inhabitants of Gokwe diocese themselves, their social life, marriage, the influence of modernity on marriage and family life, the economic life of the people, their political life and some rituals which include belief in the veneration ofancestors and the kurova guva (bringing home) ceremony.
It is in this same chapter that most of the challenges to evangelizing the African (Shona) Christian family in Gokwe diocese come out. Some of these include: polygamy, divorce, bridewealth, poverty, belief in ancestors and the kurova guva ceremony. The Second Chapter gives what the Church teaches on the theology of marriage and family life. It is in two main sections. The first section highlights some important points on God's
plan for marriage and family life. The second and largest section emphasizes the role of the Christian family which is realized by fulfilling four main tasks, namely: forming a community of persons, serving life, participating in the development of society and sharing in the life and mission ofthe Church. The Third Chapter is an evaluation of the similarities and disparities between the theological! ecclesiological stance and the real family situation in Gokwe diocese. In a nutshell, it compares and contrasts the first and second chapters, bringing out the similarities and differences existing between the two. Community spirit, value of life, communion
between the living and the dead, ethics and morality are among some notable similarities, whilst polygamy, divorce, position of women and attitude towards health and sickness are among the major disparities.
The Fourth Chapter is practical in the sense that it seeks to offer some envisaged pastoral solutions and proposals to the already highlighted challenges and problems. Closest attention to the solutions is given to the available resources in the diocese of Gokw.e especially in the areas ofstages, structures and agents ofpastoral care for the family. The Fifth Chapter is a conclusion of the whole thesis. Basically it looks at what I have
discovered throughout the whole thesis and offers some general conclusions according to 'Familiaris Consortio.Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.
16
McCaslin, Brianna Jean. "Thou Shalt Not: Experiences of Contraceptive Use and Religious Identity Negotiation Among Married Catholic Women." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/8363.
Full textAbstract:
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)The Catholic Church is widely known for its opposition to birth control. Yet statistics show that the vast majority of American Catholics use birth control. While multiple studies have been conducted on a larger quantitative scale about the use or attitudes of American Catholics toward birth control, there have not been qualitative studies to understand the experiences of Catholics who use contraception. This study is particularly timely given the recent Catholic opposition to the Affordable Care Act’s mandate of employee healthcare provided birth control as well as, the extraordinary synod of bishops to discuss pastoral challenges to family life in October 2015. Fourteen married Catholic women were interviewed about their religious identities and experiences using contraception. Analysis demonstrated how these women constructed a religious identity by maximizing certain aspects, such as prayer and service, while minimizing other aspects, such as individual autonomy and denominational distinctions, of their religious identity. However in order to cope with the tension between their salient religious identity and their contraceptive decision making women utilizing multiple mechanisms. Specifically, they made boundaries around which types of contraception were acceptable and limits to church or individual authority; they justified their decisions based on medical necessity or betrayal they felt from the church; they legitimated their decisions by discussing God’s control and their husband’s perceptions of NFP; and they normalized their decisions through their desire to care for their children and be sexually intimate with their husbands. This research illuminates unique challenges that religious women face in their sexual decision making and sexual health practices that can help sex educators and health care providers care for women. Additionally, the Catholic Church and American Catholics make up huge forces in education, health care, charity, politics, and employment. However, not all Catholics follow the rules of the church. Those members who remain an active part of the Catholic Church, such as the practicing Catholics in this study can influence the way the church changes. By better understanding the experience of these dissenters, social researchers may be able to better understand the future of the Catholic Church.
17
Mandeya, Annah Shamiso. "The role of culture and the Roman Catholic Church on HIV and AIDS among the Manyika women of Manicaland, Zimbabwe." Thesis, 2018. http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/25673.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-113)The advent of HIV and AIDS has had a negative impact on the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches (as well as others) in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. This was due to the difficulty of accepting the reality of this pandemic. This happened because the disease came with unbearable psycho-social suffering rooted in stigmatisation and discrimination, especially among women, who were the most vulnerable group. This study critically examines and exposes the effects of HIV and AIDS on Manyika women. The researcher argues that, on the one hand, some religious and cultural practices contributed to the spread of the HIV and AIDS infection. On the other hand, some of these practices discouraged the spread of HIV and AIDS pandemic and needed to be enhanced. Furthermore, even if churches are involved in the battle against HIV, their efforts are hindered by cultural practices such as the Manyikas’ unwillingness to discuss taboo issues such as sex and gender in public. This makes women vulnerable. In addition, the problem has been complicated by the fact that the issue of sexuality is not openly discussed in the churches. Using qualitative methods, the researcher conducted interviews with Catholics and found that there is a need to continually engage with these communities. Their lived experiences can be used to bring about their liberation and improve their capacity to deal with their situation. The argument of this study is that there is an urgent need to liberate and empower women in the era of HIV and AIDS. The journey that has already been started by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (“the Circle”) could assist in the liberation of women to deal with the HIV and AIDS pandemic. In addition, this can build on Catholic Church HIV and AIDS interventions among the Manyika people of Zimbabwe as a premise of that process of liberation.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D. Phil. (Theology)
18
Lazarus, Alison. "Unlit clay lamps, unsung bhajans : a cultural studies perspective on the experience of South African Catholics of Indian descent." Thesis, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/7286.
Full textAbstract:
This study is an exploratory study of the identity formation of South African Catholics of
Indian Descent (SACIDs). It seeks to describe the construction of their identity and
experience of otherness and difference. It asks two main questions: Firstly how relevant are the categories of culture, ethnicity, ideology ,race and religion in the construction of identity and the self understanding of members of this community? This
study is concerned with discovering whether these categories are operative and relevant to
the experiences of the youth in this community. Therefore the first objective of the study is
to discover how do the youth amongst SACID identify themselves? This forms the one
focus of the study. Secondly it examines the role of organic intellectuals of this community with specific
reference to what they perceive as the identity of SACIDs. The study examines what they are
saying and doing regarding the categories of culture, ethnicity, ideology and race vis a vis
the transformation of the Catholic Church in South Africa. It is important to examine what
is being done by such intellectuals as they are in a position to influence the way SACIDs
identify and construct themselves. This constitutes the second focus of the study.
Both foci are related to the research objective which is to explore the self identity and identity
construction of SACIDs. It attempts to analyse the feelings of otherness in the experience
of SACIDs. The objective is to understand how SAC IDs "see and feel themselves" in a
context of change within country and church. A Cultural Studies perspective is employed in the interpretation and analysis of identity
formation. Central to this perspective are the key categories of culture, ethnicity, ideology,
race and religion. The literature in this field provide the theoretical framework for
interpretation. The study utilizes a qualitative methodological approach, specifically the
participatory action research approach. The study finds that SACIDs define themselves as a racial and religious minority. They
perceive their identity as multi-layered. However, race is still a dominant and determining factor in their self-understanding and construction of identity. They collapse the categories of religion and culture resulting in confusion and a hesitancy to embrace ethnic references
in their identity formation and religious practice. It is this hesitancy and confusion regarding
their cultural identity that the title Unlit Clay Lamps, Unsung Bhajans refers.Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.
19
Conover, Cornelius Burroughs 1972. "A saint in the empire : Mexico City's San Felipe de Jesus, 1597-1820." 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/18361.
Full textAbstract:
Spanish monarchs ruled a global empire encompassing millions of colonial subjects for nearly three hundred years. One key factor in the longevity of the Spanish Empire was its skillful integration of elements from an even longer-lasting, centralized Institution--the Catholic Church. Through a focus on San Felipe de Jesús, a Mexico City-born saint, this dissertation analyzes the pious imperialism of the Spanish Empire in the Catholic missions of Japan, the politics of beatification in Rome and local devotions in Mexico City. Funded by Philip II, Spanish missionaries spread across the Atlantic and then to the Pacific. The mission of Spanish Franciscans in Japan including San Felipe exemplified the orthodox and expansionistic tendencies of this movement. The friars’ uncompromising zeal caused them to reject Japanese society and authority, something which led to their executions in 1597. Spanish subjects thrilled to the martyrs’ inspiring story and supported their beatification cause. The Spanish king, too, actively promoted new holy figures in Rome for political and pious reasons. During the seventeenth century, more than half of the new beatified or canonized holy figures came from the Spanish Empire, including the Nagasaki martyrs. As each new saint earned a feast in liturgy, worship in Spanish territories began to disseminate not only Catholic values, but also divine favor toward the Spanish Empire and its monarch. The liturgical schedule of colonial Mexico City shows that Spanish Catholicism projected both Church and Empire across the Atlantic. As the Catholic Church had found, cults to saints formed effective imperial ties because they could also attract and adapt. Civic and religious leaders in Mexico City molded the cult to San Felipe to express municipal pride, to assert the city’s place in the Spanish Empire and to commemorate its contributions to Catholicism. Devotions to saints, then, captured the potentially-divisive power of identity to reinforce Empire and Church. Pious imperialism worked well until Bourbon-era reforms distanced the Spanish monarch from the devotional culture in Mexico City and interrupted the mediating power of saints’ cults. The Spanish Empire was less able to withstand shocks like the political instability of the early nineteenth century.text
20
Senekane, Clement Kokoana. "An analysis of marriage relationships among Tswana speaking Catholics in the Odi district : a theological ethical study." Diss., 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17713.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation deals with an ethical analysis of marriage
relationships among Tswana speaking Catholics in the light of the
understandings of marriage of both the African and Christian traditions.
These traditions have certain practices and perspectives that, if they are put
together, can enrich marriage in all its aspects.
The first two chapters analyse the practices and perspectives of
marriage within the African and Christian traditions, while the third
compares and contrasts them. The aspects dealt with are a) compatible
values from African and Christian marriage and b) incompatible values
from African and Christian marriages.
In chapter four, the role of the Church in restoring the purpose and
the meaning of marriage and what it can do to improve Catholic marriage
relationships among Tswana speaking people are discussed and some
practical suggestions are proposed.Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology
M. Th. (Theological Ethics)
21
Nel, Michael John. "The ancestors and Zulu family transitions: a Bowen theory and practical theological interpretation." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1629.
Full textAbstract:
The commandment to honour one's father and mother is not limited to honouring parents while they are living. In Zulu culture, for both the traditionalist and Christian Zulu, honouring parents, whether alive or dead, is to relate to them with great respect. Unfortunately, this respect for the ancestors has been misunderstood by many and labeled as "worship" or, more recently, as "veneration".
Affixing a religious connotation ("worship", etc.) to the relationship led to the expectation that Zulu Christians would reject their ancestors and all the rites and practices associated with them. In spite of injunctions from the Church, a marked shift is occurring among Zulu Christians as many reincorporate their ancestors into their family process. This dissertation, an exploratory study, addresses this process of reincorporation by offering a new, non-religious interpretation of the relationship.
Historically, the Zulu have sought and welcomed the presence of the ancestors during stressful family transitions such as marriage, birth, puberty and death. If the Church focused on the increased anxiety and destabilization associated with these family transitions, new insights could be gained into the functional importance of the ancestors (as anxiety binders) in the family process.
The application of Bowen theory, a new paradigm for practical theology, to the research data provides new perspectives and understanding into the functional importance of the ancestors for Zulu families. Central to Bowen theory is the concept of the family as an emotional unit that includes all generations, including the ancestors. This concept correlates closely with the Zulu understanding of kinship. The concepts of multigenerational transmission process and triangulation in Bowen theory offer effective theoretical bases for interpreting the ongoing relationship Zulu families have with their ancestors.
This dissertation critiques certain Church practices and offers a practical theological response that can inform and enrich the Church's pastoral care. By developing a practical theology of relationships'one informed by Bowen theory, Scripture and the traditions of the Church'the Church can assist Zulu Christians pastorally as they reincorporate their ancestors into their family process.Practical Theology
D. Th. (Practical Theology)
22
Shumbamhini, Mercy. "Storying widowhood in Shona culture." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1135.
Full textAbstract:
A group of four widows undertook this research journey with me. They reflected on their widowhood experiences. Narrative and participatory practices guided our conversations. Participatory, contextual, postmodern, liberational feminist theology, poststructuralism and the social construction theory of reality informed this work.
Reflective and summarising letters after each group meeting played a central part in the research. The letters were structured to make visible the "taken-for-granted" which informed the widows about who and what they are. The alternative stories of preferred widowhood practices that emerged during and between sessions were centralised in the letters. Elements of transformation, hope and empowerment surfaced as counter stories to the culture of oppression, providing the scaffolding for re-storying their lives. The group formed Chiedza Widows Association in order to support other widows who are still marginalised.Practical Theology
(M.Th - Specialisation Pastoral Therapy))
23
Razafindrakoto, Georges Andrianoelina. "Old testament texts in Malagasy contexts: an analysis of the use of the old testament in three religious contexts in Madagascar." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2009.
Full textAbstract:
The Old Testament, which is one of the first books in the Malagasy language, plays an important role in the religious and cultural life of most people in Madagascar, for instance in an increasing tendency to use Old Testament texts in Malagasy religious contexts, which is noticeable both within and outside mainstream Christianity.
The first such case illustrating this trend within the Church is the Malagasy Roman Catholic Church's (MRCC's) application of certain texts in the famadihana (turning of the dead), a custom reflecting traditional Malagasy practices in their strongest form. Almost all the Malagasy churches from their beginning have unsuccessfully attempted to abolish it. Therefore, the MRCC decided to base it on biblical texts and incorporated it in her liturgy in order to make it a Christian celebration. Among the texts used here are: Genesis 49: 33-50: 13; Exodus 13: 19 and Exodus 20: 12. The second case is the Malagasy Lutheran Church's (MLC's) employment of Old Testament texts to create certain items for Nenilava (Tall mother), the founder of the revival movement of Ankaramalaza, who was acknowledged by this Church and the members of this movement as a prophetess and priestess. To demonstrate these roles, and at the same time to confirm her consecration, the MLC and the `children of Ankaramalaza' made for her a priestly robe modelled on the high priest's garments described in Exodus 28 and a silver crown related to Deuteronomy 28. The use of the Old Testament outside the Church is illustrated by the third case, investigating traditio-practitioners' applications of Old Testament texts in their religious practices. Examples include: 1) Exodus 3:1-3; Leviticus 14: 1-8; Jeremiah 8: 22, used in traditional healing; 2) Exodus 3: 5b; Job 33: 6a; Psalm 121: 8a, employed as religious slogans; 3) Leviticus 1-6, applied in traditional sacrifices and offerings; and 4) Psalm 113: 5-6; Genesis 2: 18, 22, employed as references for morality. This project, which describes and analyses how and why the Old Testament is used by different people, Christian and traditionalist, in Malagasy religious contexts, is aimed at developing an interpretive model based on these three cases. More specifically, it seeks to show how the Old Testament can be interpreted and used in contemporary Madagascar/Africa.Biblical and Ancient studies
D. Th (Old Testament)