Eucharistic celebration and spiritual capital: the experience of students in a Spanish Catholic school – A research report inspired by the work of Dr Ann Casson, UK (2013)

Abstract

There is clear evidence of increasing secularisation across Europe; nevertheless, the authority of the Christian tradition persists. This study focuses on the case of Spain, a well-founded Catholic origin country, which, in just a few decades has become from being one of the most religious to one of the least among Catholics. This investigation presents the experience of the spiritual capital generated by the Eucharistic celebration, viewed from the perspective of young students, and expressed in their own words. The Eucharistic celebration is still considered to be a spiritual ‘nutrition’ for most Catholic people; however, is it for the young generation? Our results indicate that the experience of ‘being Catholic’ is understood outside of the traditional forms of Catholic practices. The essential Catholic practice, the Mass, is no longer recognised as a ‘fingerprint’ of Catholicity. Nevertheless, when a sample of students were asked about the Mass, they understood the Eucharistic celebration in terms of the spiritual capital, as a source of values of solidarity, well-being, recognition of social injustices, experiences of joy, strength, feelings of gratitude, etc. However, only 8% of the students declare to participate regularly in the Mass; and, more than 50% of young people do not benefit from this resource of spiritual capital deposited in the Eucharist. Therefore, its connection with regular practice has become tenuous. One of the possible reasons for such a situation is the lack of understanding of the Mass and its spiritual, social and symbolic importance, and also by the lack of youth participation in active roles in the celebration of the Mass.