Adult religious education and learning in Canadian Catholic parishes: an area in need of empirical research

ABSTRACT

Given the importance of non-formal and informal education for ongoing Catholic religious education and faith formation for adults, and the criticality of the parish as a venue for adult religious education and learning, this conceptual paper argues the need for quality empirical research in the area of non-formal and informal adult religious education and learning in the parish context. In addition to constituting a worthwhile scholarly endeavor, we also suggest that such research has the potential to support adult religious education work and capacity building in parishes and other types of Catholic faith communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Adult religious education
• Canada
• Catholic
• community of practice
• empirical research
• parish

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Lucille Otero completed her PhD in Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan in 2017. In her Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy programs in Educational Administration, she focused on the Catholic Church’s educational mission through the lens of educational administration and leadership concentrating on adult religious education/faith formation in the parish milieu.

Michael Cottrell is Associate Professor and Graduate Chair in the Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan. His research and teaching areas include Native-Newcomer relations, Indigenous education, international and comparative education, and educational leadership.

ORCID

Lucille M. Otero http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6160-2759

Notes

1 Lucille Otero was the doctoral candidate, and Michael Cottrell served as the doctoral supervisor (Otero 2017).