Don’t forget the children: why adults must listen more carefully to their spiritual voices

Children have always been at the heart of my professional and academic work. As I listened to them and encountered their spirituality, they enriched my own understanding of the world and deepened my theological reflection on perception, relationality, agency, vulnerability and hope. Moreover, they led me to redefine and rethink spirituality itself. Through this autoethnographic writing, I hope to share with other seekers some of the many gifts the children have given to the wider community of scholars, practitioners and caregivers engaged in the field of children’s spirituality.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Children s Spirituality
Published
2026-11-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/1364436x.2026.2757712
Primary Topic
Children's Rights and Participation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Don’t forget the children: why adults must listen more carefully to their spiritual voices

Elaine T. Champagne
International Journal of Children s Spirituality
Children's Rights and Participation
article

Don’t forget the children: why adults must listen more carefully to their spiritual voices

Elaine T. Champagne
article en

Abstract

Children have always been at the heart of my professional and academic work. As I listened to them and encountered their spirituality, they enriched my own understanding of the world and deepened my theological reflection on perception, relationality, agency, vulnerability and hope. Moreover, they led me to redefine and rethink spirituality itself. Through this autoethnographic writing, I hope to share with other seekers some of the many gifts the children have given to the wider community of scholars, practitioners and caregivers engaged in the field of children’s spirituality.

International Journal of Children s Spirituality
Université Laval (CA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Children's Rights and Participation
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