The New Parochialism? Polish Migrant Catholic Parishes on the Path of Change

Abstract

The text engages with the ongoing discussion about the role played by religion in social life, with attention paid to transnational dynamics of religiosity in migrants’ individual experiences, expectations and modes of involvement. We concentrate on the research problem: how does the Roman Catholic Church, through the networks of the faithful, facilitate, challenge, and intersect with the adaptation or integration of migrants in their new settings? The study draws on a survey conducted with a sample ( n = 620) Polish Catholics in Great Britain in 2019. With the cluster analysis, we distinguished five categories of participants in parish life. The results of the study concern the declared expectations of the respondents in the confessional and non-confessional (charity, leisure, tourist, or cultural) activities. It shows two paths of respondents’ religious experience: the old parochialism and the new one. The first attitude, represents a general religious-community context, while the second one emphasizes socio-cultural background and cooperative style of work based on associations and goals-achievement. Our findings concern the socio-cultural specificity of migrants resulting from belonging to migrant parishes outside Poland and how this specificity can be juxtaposed with information concerning mainstream Catholic parishes in Great Britain.

The Relationship between Religiosity Level and Emotional Responses to Artificial Intelligence in University Students

“…The lower level of sadness among religious people found in our study may stem from the deeply rooted belief that religion not only provides a system of values but also networks of social and spiritual support (Isa ński et al 2023), which can be helpful in coping with the uncertainty and anxiety caused by rapid technological changes. For many religious people, faith is a source of security and hope (Adamczyk and Jarek 2020), which may effectively prevent the feeling of sadness associated with the potential threat posed by new technologies to the traditional way of life.…”