Sinn, M.-C. Theorizing on Engaging in Identity Work from Spiritual Formation to Vocation Discernment: Narratives of a Hong Kong Chinese (Prospective) Seminarian (2023)

Sinn, M.-C.
Theorizing on Engaging in Identity Work from Spiritual Formation to Vocation Discernment: Narratives of a Hong Kong Chinese (Prospective) Seminarian
(2023) International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society, 13 (2), pp. 159-187.

DOI: 10.18848/2154-8633/CGP/v13i02/159-187

Abstract
While research efforts have been devoted largely to priestly identity in the priesthood, it is surprising that there is little academic scholarship on identity research prior to entering the seminary as a stage of vocation discernment to priesthood. This article attempts to bridge the research gap by investigating the ongoing process of engaging in identity work of a prospective seminarian through life history research. Adopting a narrative research paradigm and drawing on the sociological lens of Foucault’s four axes of ethics, this article theorizes the experience from spiritual formation to vocation discernment of Lee, a Hong Kong Chinese Catholic, to engage in identity work. Adapting Clarke’s diagram for doing teacher identity work, the researcher expands the model across professions from (prospective) teachers to (prospective) seminarians to expound on the reflexive process of accepting, resisting, and being in-between in Lee’s narratives of religious calling. This article postulates that ongoing discursive identities of (prospective) seminarians are contingent on an iterative process of constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing a myriad of capacities to harbor hope for being more accommodating and understanding. The researcher also considers that engaging in identity work is crucial for (prospective) seminarians to maximize their continuous potential for spiritual and priestly formation. As religion and spirituality are key facets of understanding social life, this article contributes to research studies in seminary education by drawing on interpretive sociological methods as an alternative research paradigm. © 2023 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords
Axes of Ethics; Faith-Based Research; Foucault; Hong Kong Chinese; Life History Research; Seminarian; Sociology of Religion; Spiritual Formation; Vocation Discernment