Status quaestionis disertacije obilježen je aktualnošću pitanja duhovnosti u općem i užem kršćanskom smislu. Kako je iz naslova razvidno (Duhovnost vjeroučitelja vjernika laika u hrvatskim suvremenim crkveno-društvenim uvjetima), istraživanje je usredotočeno na uže specijalizirano pitanje kršćanske duhovnosti vjeroučitelja vjernika laika u Hrvatskoj. Doktorski rad strukturiran je u dva dijela. U prvom dijelu u tri poglavlja istražuje se teološko-katehetska utemeljenost vjeroučiteljeve duhovnosti, koja se ogleda u definiranom konceptu. Riječ je o definiciji vjeroučiteljeve duhovnosti koja proizlazi iz sakramenata kršćanske inicijacije u interakciji s ostvarivanjem njegova crkvenog mandata da bude vjeroučitelj. Ishodište te duhovnosti duboko je antropološki i kristološko-eklezijalno obilježeno. Budući da duhovnost po svojoj naravi treba biti provjeravana u praktičnom životu i radu, njezino teorijsko obzorje u pokoncilskom vremenu transponira se u konkretne modele; zato autorica u trećem poglavlju kritički propituje pet relevantnih modela za formaciju vjeroučitelja s duhovnom dimenzijom u europskom okruženju. Polazeći od rezultata istraživanja u prvome dijelu, drugi dio disertacije, isto tako u tri poglavlja, usredotočen je na izradu primjerenog formacijskog modela vjeroučitelja u hrvatskim crkveno-društvenim uvjetima. U prva dva poglavlja provodi se empirijsko kvalitativno istraživanje u cilju identifikacije polazišne situacije. Na temelju analize dobivenih rezultata i teološko-katehetskih promišljanja hrvatskih autora, u trećem zaključnom poglavlju donosi se predložak za kreiranje suvremenog, prepoznatljivo hrvatskoga modela u formaciji vjeroučitelja s integriranom duhovnom dimenzijom; predložak je strukturiran na općeprihvaćenoj trodimenzionalnoj okvirnoj shemi kompetencija (vjero)učitelja za 21. stoljeće: biti-znati-znati činiti. Autorica se služi stručno-znanstvenom literaturom na više jezika (hrvatski, talijanski, njemački, francuski) i dokumentima crkvenoga Učiteljstva. Sukladno naravi istraživanja slijedi se više međusobno komplementarnih metoda: metoda prikaza, analize, sinteze i komparacije, te metoda dubinskoga intervjua i metoda projiciranja modela. Doprinos disertacije ogleda se u izvorno znanstvenim rezultatima, korisnim za promicanje formacije vjeroučitelja s integriranom duhovnom dimenzijom. In her doctoral dissertation, the authoress proceeds from the expressly real question of spirituality in its broadly human sense as well as in its narrow Christian sense. In its transition from the second and into the third millennium, the question of spirituality becomes one of the central interests for the contemporary man of various cultures, religions, geographic locations, including those who are agnostics or atheists. Conducive to the question, the newest scientific investigations and discoveries in the disciplines governing the natural, biomedical and humanistic sciences speak to the issue of indispensible urgency to study and develop the science governing man’s spirit as an integrative part of human beings. (E. Kandel, B. Lipton, D. Amen, E. Coerth, et. al.) When speaking of Christian spirituality, one must seek substantiation of that reality in the fact that through the flow of the past few centuries, spirituality was repressed to the very margins of life. The authoress of the dissertation does not deal with the hypothesis governing the motives of the contemporary renascence of spirituality; she, to the contrary, limits herself to stressing the fact that the question of spirituality has entered into the first plan, and that it has today become a part of consciousness to such an extent that it could be classified as a sign of the times which points to a true need for the world of today. Contemporary interest in spirituality firstly points to the imperative need to fundamentally contemplate the subject inasmuch as theology has neglected to engage the subject of spirituality for centuries. This new factual state of spirituality imposes upon theology the task of integrating spirituality into theological epistemology as one of its areas of specialization. It is important to stress the fact that at the impetus of the Second Vatican Council, as well as among Christians, the wish to return to the root sources of spirituality was begun. It is a question of new leavening which generated various spiritual expressions depending on the ambient wherein it was found. In this context, the words of Pope John Paul II are better understood when he states that the perspective of holiness must be placed within the pastoral journey of the entire Church (Novo millennio ineunte, 30). This turning point, which began at the impetus of the Pope, is of significant consequence to Christian life. Inasmuch as a person is vaccinated in Christ through Baptism, he becomes the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and enters into the realm of Divine Holiness; hence, it is inconceivable that a baptized person could be satisfied with an average Christian life or a minimalistic ethic. This ideal of Christ, the Pope stresses, must not be erroneously understood, that is, in such a manner that we are speaking of some sort of extraordinary state of life which can only be lived by a few men of great holiness inasmuch as such paths are multifaceted and are a suitable path for everyman, including laymen catechists. The fundamental call for the catechist, be he a layman, a priest, or a religious priest or nun, is, before all else, based on the essence of what a Christian is and is shaped by the Holy Ghost in such a manner that his life, in its very essence, is signified by deep Christian spirituality. Inasmuch as a catechist is, first of all, a Christian, the dissertation poses the question as to whether or not the spirituality of the catechist has some specific point of reference. In the event the answer is positive, the logical question is further posited which asks whether or not this specificity of spirituality on the part of the catechist must be called to a particular service on behalf of the Church which he fulfills within society. For this reason, the fundamental question with which the dissertation deals is the dilemma as to how one can speak of a spirituality which is exclusively typical of catechists given the various forms and styles found in life. A large number of consulted authors are of the mind that a catechist can and must have a specific spirituality, as intimated by the very Canonic mandate on the basis of which the catechist carries out his specific service to the Church. This service comes to be realized through a gift from the Holy Ghost with whom the catechist is called to a lasting and open cooperation not only in his common Christian call but in his specific role as catechist. In this manner, and with right, one can and must speak of the spirituality of a Catechist which by its very function is his call to mission by the Church. The dissertation reflects a two-part structure. As is evident from its title, namely, The Theological—Catechetical Spiritual Foundation for the Lay Catechist, the first part concentrates on the theological—catechetical spiritual foundation of the lay catechist. Hence, the subject of investigation of the first chapter of the dissertation, namely, The Theological-Catechetical Starting Points, are the contemporary concepts of spirituality as based on its theological—catechetical foundations. When speaking of the concrete concept of spirituality, one must not lose sight of the fact that we differentiate spirituality as a lived or practiced reality, that is, an intellectual Christian life from that of spirituality as a scientific discipline used to investigate that reality. If our reflections about spirituality remain fixed on spirituality as a sub-specialized discipline of theology, then, among other things, in its systematization we come to differentiate the particular spirituality which applies to one or more persons, and can, then, also include the spirituality of Croatian catechists as well. It follows from the investigations that what is at work is Christian spirituality as the source of the spirituality of a catechist which the apostolic admonition, Christifideles laici (1990), defines as being the spirituality appropriate to laymen. Inasmuch as spiritual life does not consist of speculations only, one must also integrate Christian spiritual experience along with its spiritual dimension as an essential component found in the lay catechist as marked by the complex historical, societal, and cultural circumstances found in the Republic of Croatia. The subject of the deliberations of the second chapter of the dissertation, namely, Post-Conciliar Guidelines for the Magisterium consist of general as well as regional magisterial directions. As universal guidelines, the most important documents are taken into account: Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), The General Catechetical Directory, (1971), Catechesi Tradendae, (1979), The Universal Directory for Catechetics, 1997) and Christifideles laici, 1990). As guidelines for regional Churches, the documents from two European Bishops’ Conferences, were taken into consideration: The Joyful Proclamation of the Gospels and Upbringing in Faith, (1983), The Plan and Program for Catholic Education in Elementary Schools, (1998), and Called to Holiness, (2002), and those of the Italian Bishops’ Conference: Il Rinnovamento della catechesi (1970), La formazione dei catechisti nella comunità Cristiana, (1986), and Orientamenti e itinerari di formazione dei catechisti, (1991), and those of the German Bishops’ Conference: Zur Spiritualität des Religionslehrers, (1987). The first part of the dissertation establishes that the theological-catechetical investigations and documents of the Magisterium stand in reciprocal relationship wherein the specific foundation for spirituality of catechists is given with definitional specificity. Within that perspective, it is difficult to determin