Title Mūsų gretos nyksta: kaip katalikų dvasininkai išgyvena savo bendruomenės nario pasitraukimą /
Translation of Title Our numbers are fading: catholic clergy’s experience of a fellow member’s departure.
Authors Sutkutė, Karolina
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Pages 84
Abstract [eng] The number of Catholic clergy – priests, monks and nuns – continues to decline annually. In addition to the decreasing number of seminarians and religious candidates, a notable phenomenon is emerging: even those who have taken perpetual vows are leaving religious or priestly communities, stepping away from the clerical state. In Lithuania, the psychological experiences of clergy who remain in the community after such a departure have received little to no scholarly attention. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the lived experiences of clergy who have personally gone through the departure of a fellow community member. The research involved seven participants – priests, monks and nuns – aged between 32 and 61, each of whom had experienced such a departure within their own community. Data were gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews lasting up to one hour, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Four central themes emerged from the participants’ narratives: (1) I experience it as a kind of divorce, (2) I am torn between the need for support and the need for isolation, (3) Perhaps it is God's will, and (4) I (cannot) find personal meaning in the other's departure. This study contributes an initial understanding of the emotional and psychological impact of community member departures on Catholic clergy. It also highlights the need for further psychological and pastoral research on this topic, as well as increased institutional attention to the challenges faced by this particular social and religious group.
Dissertation Institution Vilniaus universitetas.
Type Master thesis
Language Lithuanian
Publication date 2025