Published : 2024-11-29

The Spirituality of Polish Women, in the Context of the Loss of a Loved One

Epistolographic Narratives

Abstract

The main issue raised in the article concerns the spirituality of Polish women in the context of the loss of a loved one. Spirituality is an integral part of human life, and modern researchers focus their attention on the importance of this sphere for the elderly or in the face of their own death. This article focuses on the importance of the spiritual sphere after the loss of a significant person, based on the author's own research. A qualitative approach was used, texts evoked in the form of letters were analyzed. Inductively generated categories, and three of them – analyzed in this article – provide a certain picture of experiencing spirituality in the face of the death of loved ones. 55 letters written by women of different ages to deceased loved ones were examined. The aim of the analysis was to learn about various aspects of experiencing the loss of a loved one in the context of spirituality in three dimensions: existential, religious and relational. In the religious dimension, faith becomes an important element supporting the experience of the mourning for the respondents. People refer to a loving God, to religious symbols, practices and festivals. In the existential dimension, people realize how fragile and fleeting human existence is. In the relational dimension, the belief in the constant presence of the deceased with the authors of the letters is visible, as is the need for closeness and continuation of the relationship even after the death of a loved one, which gives relief in suffering and also allows one to cope with the difficult situation of loss. The whole creates a spiritual dimension.

Keywords:

spirituality, religiosity, relationship, death, letters, mourning



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Fabiś, A., Zaremba-Żółtek , B., Sitko , A., & Goncerz-Pięta, A. (2024). The Spirituality of Polish Women, in the Context of the Loss of a Loved One: Epistolographic Narratives. Biografistyka Pedagogiczna, 9(1), 15–48. https://doi.org/10.36578/BP.2024.09.14

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"Biografistyka Pedagogiczna" received funding for the years 2022-2024 from the funds of the Minister of Education and Science under the programme „Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych”.

Project duration: 2023-2024.

The amount of co-financing is 65 992,00 PLN

Contract number: RCN/SP/0434/2021/1