Characteristics of Pilgrims in Međugorje - Motives and Meaning of Pilgrimages

Rad se temelji na teorijskim teološkim, socijalnim i psihološkim preispitivanjima hodočašća na osnovi nekih dosadašnjih istraživanja. Cilj ovoga rada je upoznati obilježja hodočasnika, njihove motive, posebnosti hodočasničkoga mjesta i utjecaje hodočašća na svakodnevni život hodočasnika. Rad je temeljen na istraživanju provedenomu u Međugorju na uzorku od 505 ispitanika 2001. godine. U istraživanju su sudjelovali ispitanici iz 33 države. Podaci su prikupljeni polustrukturiranim upitnikom prevedenim na osam svjetskih jezika. Rezultati su pokazali da su hodočasnici u Međugorju najčešće praktični vjernici i da najčešće pripadaju katoličkoj vjeri, no postoji i udio drugih vjeroispovijesti. Motivi njihova hodočašća su duhovne naravi, traženje Boga i obnova duhovnoga života. Aktivnosti i okolina samoga mjesta vrlo su im važni, a posebice euharistija. Učinak za njihovu svakodnevnicu je duhovna obnova, koju više ističu praktični vjernici, ali svi, bez razlike, naglašavaju da nose mir, nadu, radost i sigurnost. Ovim se radom dobio uvid u neka obilježja hodočašća i hodočasnika danas, te on može poslužiti kao polazište za daljnja sustavna istraživanja hodočašća koja su rijetko zastupljena, a očito bitna za ponovno otkrivanje »svetoga« u sekulariziranome svijetu.The article is founded on the theoretical theological, social and psychological requestioning of pilgrimages based on research conducted to date. Most of the research conducted is by German or English speaking regions seeing that this type of research is virtually non-existent in Croatia. Literature generally notes that research of pilgrimages is quite rare. The aim of this article is to investigate the characteristics of pilgrims, their motives to pilgrimage, the specifity of pilgrim sties and the influence of pilgrimages on every day life. The article is based on research conducted about Međugorje on a sample of 505 examinees in 2001. Examinees came from 33 countries. Data was collected via a semi-structured questionnaire translated into eight languages. The examination was conducted in two different periods: summer - more frequent; and October - quieter periods. The sample was appropriate. The questionnaire was completed anonymously by pilgrims who wished to do so during their afternoon rest period in the near vicinity of the church. Data was processed with the application of simple and complicated statistical methods. The intention was to analyse to what extent the results obtained were connected to the religiousness of the pilgrims themselves and socio-demographic characteristics. The religiousness of pilgrims was analysed by the frequency of religious practise such as going to Holy Mass, how often they prayed personally and self-evaluation of their own religiousness. The results showed that they were most often practising believers and they mostly belonged to the Catholic Church but there were other religious beliefs represented too. Pilgrims believe that Mary has an important role in their lives and seek conversation with her. Their active participation in the parish community is narrowly tied to their religiousness. The motives of their pilgrimage are of a spiritual nature: searching for God and renewing their spiritual lives. Some other comparative research also for Međugorje gave identical motives for pilgrims. There were other important motives: to thank God; seek help in distress; prayer as conversation and internal peace for the soul; prayer for spiritual and bodily health for their loved ones and themselves personally. The activities and locality of the actual place was very important, particularly the Eucharist and other sacraments. For them Međugorje is a place of peace, a place to meet with God and Mary. The influence on their every day lives was spiritual renewal that strengthened their practising their faith. However, everyone without a doubt stressed that it brought them peace, hope, joy and security. Socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, education, marital status, material status, size of the town they come from did not significantly influence their motives to pilgrimage and what they experienced. The more decisive factor was their level of religiousness. This article gives an insight into some of the characteristics of pilgrimages and pilgrims today. As such, it can be used as a starting point for further systematic research about pilgrimages that are rarely presented but are vital to rediscovering the »Holy« in a secularised world

To what extent have changes in channel capacity contributed to flood hazard trends in England and Wales?

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: SLATER, L., 2016. To what extent have changes in channel capacity contributed to flood hazard trends in England and Wales?. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 41(8), pp. 1115-1128., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.3927. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.The frequency of floods has been projected to increase across Europe in the coming decades due to extreme weather events. However, our understanding of how flood frequency is affected by geomorphic changes in river channel capacity remains limited. This paper seeks to quantify the influence of trends in channel capacity on flood hazards. Measuring and predicting the effect of geomorphic changes on freshwater flooding is essential to mitigate the potential effects of major floods through informed planning and response. Hydrometric records from 41 stream gauging stations were used to measure trends in the flood stage (i.e. water surface elevation) frequency above the 1% annual exceedance threshold. The hydrologic and geomorphic components of flood hazard were quantified separately to determine their contribution to the total trend in flood stage frequency. Trends in cross-sectional flow area and mean flow velocity were also investigated at the same flood stage threshold. Results showed that a 10% decrease (or increase) in the channel capacity would result in an increase (or decrease) in the flood frequency of approximately 1.5 days per year on average across these 41 sites. Widespread increases in the flood hazard frequency were related to both hydrologic and geomorphic effects. Geomorphic trends in channel capacity amplified the hydrologic trends in flow frequency, whether positive or negative. These findings suggest that overlooking the potential influence of changing channel capacity on flooding may be hazardous. Better understanding and quantifying the influence of geomorphic trends on flood hazard will provide key insight for managers and engineers into the driving mechanisms of fluvial flooding over relatively short timescales

Identität und Menschenwürde in Europa

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