January 1996 Case Study: The Pastoral Circle: Background and Use
Abstract
For several decades, church pastoral workers have followed the "see, judge, act" methodology introduced by the Cardin-related movements (e.g., Young Christian Workers* Young Christian Students), This method is a popular approach that gets the pastoral workers to reflect on their experience in the light of their faith, before responding in practical ways.It was a desire to sharpen the approach of this method by including more explicit attention to analysis that gave rise to what has been widely referred to as the "pastoral circle." The work at the Center of Concern in Washington, DC, that Joe Holland and I did in the late 1970's and early 1980's in sociology-economic-cultural research, writing, workshops, etc., found a focus in the book Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice.
Description
At the heart of Social Analysis is the "Pastoral Circle." As we developed it in our original explanations, we saw it as an integral approach to emphasis the relationship between reflection and action. We knew that it was related to what authors like Paulo Freire refer to as praxis, or reflection based on experience, an experience shaped by reflection. Hence it could also be referred to as the "circle of praxis." Moreover, it was related to what liberation theologians like Juan Luis Segundo call the "hermeneutic circle," the interpretative method that raises new questions to older explanations because of contact with new situations.