Levels of satisfaction among novices, philosophy, and college students of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) in India: A missionary perspective

• Main Author: Thaliath, Paulson, CMI
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2006
• Subjects: Satisfaction—Religious aspects—Christianity; Monasticism and religious orders—India; Religious Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6669; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/12847/viewcontent/CDTG004079_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The study investigated the levels of satisfaction among the novices, philosophy, and college students of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) India, with a missionary perspective. Community life, prayer life, and apostolic life are the three dimensions that were discussed. The participants were 25 senior novices, 21 senior philosophy students, and 22 senior college students (N=68) from the seven mission provinces of the congregation. The respondents constituted an age range of 18 to 33 with an average age of 25 and were acquainted with the congregation for minimum of three years. This study employed descriptive research design and data were gathered through survey method. The responses of the Respondents’ Personal Profile and the 70- set Questionnaire on Religious Satisfaction were analyzed and accordingly the telephone interview guide was prepared. All the formants of the study were satisfied in the congregation. Community life was reported as the most satisfying dimension of the three aforementioned dimensions by the respondents. There were non-significant differences in community life among novices, philosophy, and college students. The philosophy students were found to be high in all the three dimensions of religious life. The novices and college students were found to be having average satisfaction in prayer life. The satisfaction in terms of apostolic life, novices and philosophy students were found high and that of college students, average. Further, the study implied that a deep-rooted prayer culture to be generated in the formation houses, where missionaries are formed in a country like India, which is predominantly populated with the believers of other religions. Orientations to the missionary life based on prayer life enhance the satisfaction in religious life. This study is expected to aid the enhancement of the three dimensions, such as community life, prayer life, and apostolic life among the formants of the mission provinces of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate congregation.