Pilgrimage Order Service Group as a Specific Type of Dispositional Groups

Abstract

Dispositional groups, fully organized and ready for prompt action, are dependent on external factors that trigger specific reactions. Motivation for reaction, a result of external action upon the group, that is actions that are independent, causes the dispositional group to have occasional character in some cases. It is particularly visible in case of groups in which the situations necessitating such a reaction can only occur in specific periods of time. Such a phenomena can be observed in case of the Order Service of the Jasna Góra Pilgrimage, that takes place every year in the beginning of August, for tens of years now. The Order Service, as a group, is an interesting field for observation, because it is not just a group bound by religious community and social bonds, created during the hard and exhausting foot pilgrimage, but also an organization subjected not just to the church but also state authorities. The article aims at presenting the Order Service of the Pilgrimage in context of its organization, with special emphasis on the motivations of the candidates for the aforesaid service.