Náboženský život v lokálnej komunite: etnografická prípadová štúdia Spoločenstva modliacich sa matiek a podomovej návštevy Panny Márie
Religious Life in the Local Community: An Ethnographic Case Study of the Association of Praying Mothers and the Doorstep Visitation of the Virgin Mary

Summary/Abstract: The paper focuses on the analysis of religious life in a particular village in Central Slovakia. The empirical data analysed in the study come from ethnographic field research conducted in a village with a predominantly Roman Catholic population. The study focuses on the activities of the Association of Praying Mothers / Moms in Prayer, a religious initiative for women that represents a significant form of lay religious participation. In addition to this organised form of religiosity, the paper analyses another local religious practice: the exchange of a statue of the so-called doorstep Virgin Mary (the community of the Virgin Mary’s doorstep visitation) among individual families in the village. We pay special attention to these two rituals and ritualised religious practices, especially their cultural and social dimensions and potential impact on social relations and cohesion among members of the local community. The research findings indicate that religious practices within the community significantly influence the development and preservation of interpersonal relationships. This paper provides insights into certain religious practices as essential components of community life and as mechanisms for strengthening emotional, religious, and social bonds among members of the religious community.

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