Challenges and incentives for families with preschool children in the Church in Slovenia in the Llght of the New Directory for catechesis

Nežič Glavica, Iva (author)

The article discusses the challenges faced by families with preschool children in transmitting the Christian faith and tradition within the Church in Slovenia. It is based on the empirical study Families with Preschool Children (Ivan Platovnjak) and, through comparative qualitative analysis, connects the needs of families with the cat echetical-pastoral guidelines provided by the New directory for catechesis. It then analyses the possibilities for their effective implementation in family pastoral care. The research results show that most parents are aware of their responsibility for the religious education of their children, but often experience feelings of helplessness, rejection and a lack of adequate support. The New Directory responds to these needs with adapted pastoral approaches and an emphasis on the so-called »motherly con cern« of the Church, which is expressed through acceptance and concrete support for families both at the level of church leadership and community on the ground .In this way, the New Directory encourages the Church in Slovenia to renew its family pasto ral care and to provide systematic support to families with young children in the areas of catechetical and liturgical education.

• Language: English
• Keywords: family, preschool children, New Directory for catechesis, pastoral care, religious formation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 16.04.2026
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 1273-1284
• Numbering: [God.] 95, [br.] 5
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181964
• UDC: 27‑472‑053.4(497.4)
• ISSN on article: 1848-9648
• DOI: 10.53745/bs.95.5.4
• COBISS.SI-ID: 275891971
• Publication date in RUL: 21.04.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bogoslovska smotra
• Shortened title: Bogosl. smotra
• Publisher: Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta
• ISSN: 1848-9648
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8084570

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Croatian
• Title: Izazovi i poticaji za obitelji s predškolskom djecom u Crkvi u Sloveniji u svjetlu novog Direktorija za katehezu

Abstract

Članak raspravlja o izazovima s kojima se suočavaju obitelji s predškolskom djecom u prenošenju kršćanske vjere i tradicije u Crkvi u Sloveniji. Nastao je na empirijskom istraživanju Obitelji s predškolskom djecom (Ivan Platovnjak) te na temelju komparativne kvalitativne analize povezuje potrebe obitelji s katehetsko-pastoralnim smjernicama koje pruža Novi direktorij za katehezu. Zatim analizira mogućnosti njihove učinkovite primjene u obiteljskom pastoralu. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da je većina rodite lja svjesna vlastite odgovornosti za vjerski odgoj svoje djece, ali se često suočavaju s osjećajima bespomoćnosti, odbačenosti i nedostatka odgovarajuće podrške. Novi direk torij za katehezu odgovara na uočene potrebe prilagođenim pastoralnim pristupima i naglaskom na tzv. majčinskoj brizi Crkve, koja se ostvaruje u prihvaćanju i konkretnoj podršci obiteljima kako na razini crkvenog vodstva tako i na razini životne zajednice. Na taj način Novi direktorij za katehezu potiče Crkvu u Sloveniji da obnovi svoj obiteljski pastoral i da pruži sustavnu podršku obiteljima s malom djecom u područjima kate hetskog i liturgijskog odgoja.

• Keywords: družina, predšolski otroci, Novi direktorij za katehezu, pastoralna skrb, religiozna formacija