Becoming Sacred. The Use of the Body in Identity Transformation

Abstract

This paper analyzes various ways of using of the human body and senses in the religious practice of the Catholic movement the Neocatechumenal Way. This religious movement, established in Spain in 1960s, especially emphasizes ritual practice, which is considered the main instrument of communication with the sacred Other. Innovations in ritual practice and their symbolic interpretations are followed by careful planning of how to achieve full engagement, contemplative as well as bodily and sensory, of the members in ritual acts. The aim of this paper is to make a contribution, based on new fieldwork data, to research on bodily and sensory dimensions of ritual practice.

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Avtor v razpravi analizira različne načine rabe človeškega telesa in čutov v religioznih ritualnih praksah katoliškega gibanja Neokatehumenska pot. Religiozno gibanje, ustanovljeno v Španiji v 60. letih, posebej poudarja ritualne prakse, ki jih imajo za glavno sredstvo komunikacije s svetim Drugim. Inovacije v ritualnih praksah in njihovo simbolično interpretacijo spremlja skrbno načrtovanje, kako doseči polni angažma udeležencev ritualnega dejanja, tako na kontemplativni kakor telesni in čutni ravni. Namen razprave je na osnovi novih terenskih podatkov prispevati raziskavo o telesnih in čutnih dimenzijah ritualnih praks.