Fostering togetherness in superdiverse Catholic parishes

This article analyses how togetherness is fostered in superdiverse Catholic settings, and develops conceptualisation of togetherness through encounter, building on long-standing work on throwntogetherness and diversity. We draw on the context of faith education in four Catholic parishes in Norway and engage with the growing body of work on migration and Catholicism in anthropology and beyond. During fieldwork in superdiverse Catholic parishes, where the parishes main faith education for children and youth was offered in a shared language, Norwegian, we found both a sense of togetherness and emphasis placed on fostering togetherness among those in charge. We therefore ask: How is togetherness fostered in such superdiverse settings, what does this look like, and how is difference and disagreement negotiated? The article contributes to current debates in migration studies (1) with conceptualisation of togetherness through encounters, emphasising the (potentially) inclusive relationality of co-presence in shared spaces, as sites of throwntogetherness; (2) by analysing shared rather than ethno-linguistically divided religious activities, transcending nationally bounded thinking; and (3) by engaging insights from interdisciplinary research on migration and Catholicism. In the conclusion we discuss the uniqueness and broader relevance of our findings and of conceptualising togetherness through encounters, beyond Catholic and other religious spaces.