Fundamentos teológicos de la religiosidad popular en torno a la figura de San José como marco de orientación de acciones pastorales en la arquidiócesis de Cali

Abstract

This paper analyzes the theological foundations of popular religiosity surrounding devotion to Saint Joseph, with the aim of establishing guiding criteria for pastoral action in the Archdiocese of Cali. Drawing on theological-pastoral approaches, lived religion, secularization theory, and a cultural perspective, the research examines how believers experience, interpret, and reinterpret this devotion within their spiritual and daily lives. The study was conducted using a qualitative paradigm, with a hermeneutic perspective and narrative design, employing a semi-structured survey administered to two parish communities. The results were analyzed using co-occurrence maps. The findings reveal that devotion to Saint Joseph is structured around traditional practices imbued with a profound, affective and symbolic component, through which the concrete needs of human existence are addressed. It was also identified that the "mediating function of intercession" constitutes a central category in the religious experience and that this devotion drives significant processes of moral transformation, leading devotees to seek to be better parents, spouses and believers.