An exploration of learning in a women's church group: a case study of a Catholic womens group in Pietermaritzburg region.

Abstract

The St Anne’s Catholic Women’s Group (SACWG) is an association of Catholic married women. The SACWG anticipates that its members bring together the principles of the SACWG (as taught within the group) and the realities of women in the world in which they live. However, I have seen a disjuncture and schism between the principles of what SACWG seeks to achieve and how the women live in the real world. The study interrogated and scrutinized the types of learning that take place in the SACWG. My purpose was to explore the relationship between what was learnt within the group and the impact of that learning on women’s daily lives, with a view to contributing to the theorization of adult learning, including formal, non-formal and informal learning. The study was also intended to look at how women were engaging in the wider community as Christians. The study utilized a qualitative approach and was located within the interpretative paradigm. The Case Study approach applied multiple methods of data collection, namely: observation, Focus Group and semi-structured interviews. The study was grounded in one Parish within the Pietermaritzburg region. Seven SACWG members were interviewed. Observation of a meeting session was done twice. The study was framed using the concept of Communities of Practice as its theoretical framework. The findings reveal that there are four types of learning that take place in the SACWG, namely: the annual retreats and conventions, Tuesday and Thursday gatherings, monthly meetings and the Heritage Day celebration. Active participation of the SACWG members in these different types of learning is fundamental for knowledge creation and sharing. SACWG members are commissioned to serve in community outreach projects according to its motto, ‘Serve the Family, Serve the Church, Serve the Community’. Members seem to turn a blind eye to the principle of ‘…her obligations towards God, family as well as the neighbour’, including ‘…serve the community at large.’ Non-formal learning and informal learning stimulate SACWG learning. None of the SACWG members resides in Wozanawe Informal Settlement (WIS), the neighbour of the St Kuhle Parish (SKP), thus a distance between the SACWG, the church and the WIS is evident. The findings confirm my initial view of a disjuncture between the principles of what the SACWG seeks to achieve and the real world in which members live in.