Who is right? A Lived Catholicism Study of the Mass-Going of Catholic Teenagers

Abstract

Lived Catholicism proposes a new way to study being Catholic. Through a focus on individual experiences and practices, it seeks to unpack ‘what sorts of people those who are baptised Catholic are becoming through their ordinary practices’.1 Although many studies of Catholicism tell us what Catholics practice and believe, far fewer tell us why. This study of the Lived Catholicism of teenagers in the UK will explore what motivates them to go to Mass, how the Mass going relates to their wider Catholicity, and the surprising gaps that emerge. Connecting these experiences to those of previous generations shows how the methods of Lived Catholicism can begin to answer questions not previously asked.