From anxiety to hope

Project title: "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all." (Mt 6,32b) Catholic adult education in Transylvania in the service of managing societal level anxiety in crisis time – adult education project during the year 2023

Project coordinator: Association Pro Educatione

Project sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

We, as adult education providers, experienced the presence of strong anxiety at all levels of society in the fall of 2022, which defined the operation of adult education initiatives as well. The local society was almost unable to free itself from the mental stress caused by the pandemic and the various concerns related to it (such as the fear from infection, the loss of loved ones, the difficulties of quarantine, the burdens caused by official regulations etc.) when the Russian-Ukrainian war just broke out in our neighborhood country. It was clearly noticeable the anxiety from a possible approach of the war towards us, and the difficulties due to economic crisis were also experienceable in everyday life. The public discourse also did not help the generations to cope with fear.

In our project we were (and are still) initiating activities that support the Catholic adult education organizations to order to effectively help the local Christian communities and other target groups in overcoming the widespread anxiety. We are relying on the organizations' significant experience in pastoral care, psychology, social work, spiritual exercises and retreats. We offer an online curriculum entitled “From anxiety to hope” that works as source for resources and inspirations in the field of training and prevention, a source for the initiation and hold of training or workshop sessions in adult groups. 

You can find all the collected materials in a drive folder: HERE

 

Table of contents

 

1. About anxiety in general

1.1 Introductory: definitions and concepts of anxiety from the perspectives of clinical psychology. Learning material compiled by clinical psychologist Irma Simó.

1.2 Psychologist István Cosma: Our knowledge about societal level anxiety. Understanding it, finding strategies to cope with it and building up prevention strategies as gestures of self-care among. Extract from a workshop held for Catholic civilians.  

1.3 Psychologist Irma Simó: The role of supervision in reducing anxiety and developing resilient functioning in the workplace

1.4 Priest Balázs Sajgó: Anxiety from a pastoral perspective

 

2. Fear as thematic in pastoral work and logotherapy, and the ways one can cope with it

2.1 Conference presentation, a material in German language, prepared by university lecturer Dr. János Vik with the title: "Logotherapie und pastorale Begleitung. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Anwendung des Menschenbildes von Viktor E. Frankl in der pastoralen Beratung". The presentation was held on the 17th of April 2023 at the FEECA annual conference in Cluj-Napoca.

2.2 Audio material of the above-mentioned presentation in German language

2.3 Notes taken at the FEECA annual conference in Hungarian language – material compiled by Adél Kiss

 

3. About war anxiety

3.1 Selection of articles, interviews, guides and recommendations related to war anxiety that are available on the Internet – by Boglárka Péter

3.2 Video interview in Romanian language: "We have to keep the feeling of solidarity alive". Interview with Corneliu Bulai, coordinator of the Kolping Education Center in Ojtuz, a person who regularly takes aid shipments from Romania to Ukraine. The interview was conducted by sociologist Gabriella Fazakas.

3.3 Adél Kiss: Thoughts on existential anxiety

 

Learning material compiled by: Adél Kiss and Péter, project managers of Association Pro Educatione