Abstract

Spiritual life and community engagement animation services have existed since 2001. These services replaced pastoral animation in schools and are intended to promote the spiritual development and community engagement of all students, whether or not they are affiliated with a religion. This article presents the historical background that led to development of this service, as well as the professional concerns of its stakeholders. The concerns raised are based on awareness of great diversity among those who provide this service - diversity in both their training and their understanding of the meanings of the terms that define their work. Presently working towards the professionalization that they deem essential to their very survival, they are using professional strategies that are largely not aligned with their reality nor their abilities. This article hopes to demonstrate the relevance of changing perspectives so that this profession would not be understood through functionalist or conflictualist paradigms, nor limited only to community engagement, but would rather adopt an interactionist point of view, focused on the spiritual aspect of this role.