Navigating Catholic Identity: A Phenomenological Case Study of Student Religious Experiences at a Catholic University in South Korea

This phenomenological case study explores religious identity formation among students at a South Korean Catholic university. Using an integrated qualitative approach combining Colaizzi’s (1978) method with Charmaz’s (2014) constant comparative analysis to analyze interviews with ten students, the research identifies a distinctive six-stage internalization process: (1) awareness and exposure, (2) value recognition and meaning attribution, (3) practical participation, (4) encountering the semiotic and everyday landscape, (5) relational interaction and institutional communication, and (6) critical reflection and reconstruction. Findings reveal that Catholic symbols, “Human Studies” curricula, and volunteerism foster an inclusive milieu for internalizing human dignity. Additionally, students navigate “creative tensions” between traditional doctrines and contemporary social issues. While constrained by its single-institution design, these results provide crucial insights for balancing religious missions with pluralistic inclusivity in modern higher education.