In 2022, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development asked six working groups of Catholic theologians all over the world to go to the margins of the church and society to listen. This listening is at the heart of a global project, Doing Theology from the Existential Peripheries.  Dr. Owens Jofré will provide snapshots of the lived experiences of those to whom she listened in Southern California and share resources from the project well suited for teaching and ministry.  She will amplify the voices of first-generation immigrant community organizers, women in ministry with and to divorced and widowed Catholics, young gay Catholic men, a vowed religious woman who started an intentional community near the border to accompany migrants, and a deconvert from Catholicism. Click here to download the flyer.

In this inaugural lecture for the Ada María Isasi-Díaz Institute for Justice, Dr. Owens Jofré will provide an overview of the method for theological construction Isasi-Díaz and Yolanda Tarango began to develop together, mujerista theology. She will identify ways it can be developed from a sociological perspective and discuss how she applied it with lay Latina leaders at Dolores Mission Parish in Boyle Heights, CA. As this is a virtual event, there will be time allotted not only for the presentation, but also for small group conversations in breakout rooms and dialogue as a large group, as well. For more information and to register, click here.
NB: Times listed here are in Central Standard Time.

Join members of the North American Working Group to learn more about Doing Theology from the Peripheries, a project of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Meghan Clark of St. John’s University will moderate a panel discussion between Stan Chu Ilo (DePaul University), Darren Dias (University of Toronto), and me about what we are learning from listening well to those who occupy the margins of the church and society. This WebEx gathering hosted by Catholic Relief Services and St. John’s will include time for large group conversation, as well. For more information on the project and to register for the event, click here.
NB: Times listed here are on Central Standard Time, whereas times listed on the flyer are on Eastern Standard Time.

I’ll offer a few brief remarks, “Gifts of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” as part of the Association of Marquette University Women’s Advent Reflection this year. Registration is $25/person, and you can do so here. Image credit: Ana Ferrer, Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles.

SERIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED

This series is scheduled to take place at St. Ignatius Martyr, a parish served by members of the Order of the Holy Cross, this summer. With sessions exploring the scriptural roots of the social doctrine of the church (June 22nd), Catholic social teaching since Rerum Novarum (June 29th), our Christian call to be present to those who are economically poor and homeless (July 6th), and the claims our shared faith makes on our relationships with our migrant kin (July 13th), Thy Kingdom Come is a collaboration between pastoral agents, practitioners, and scholars to learn more about how we can honor human dignity and serve the common good. The presentation I’ve been invited to give will explore some of the gifts Catholic tradition shares with us on the topic of immigration, provide opportunities for discussion and discernment, and continue to develop relationships with organizations here in Austin serving our migrant siblings. Given our commitment to engage responsibly with the recommendations of public health officials relating to the pandemic, please check back for updates as the summer nears.

NB: The Bridge Poster by John August Swanson featured in this post is available for purchase here.

EVENT CANCELLED.

During this gathering of the PC(USA)’s members of the Synod of the Sun who belong to the Hispanic Ministries Mission Network, I will join Caly Fernandez (Puentes de Cristo: Hidalgo, TX) and Rev. Isabel Rivera-Velez (Iglesia Cristiana Latina: Houston, TX) on a panel discussion of faithful responses to the immigration crisis.

The third gathering of the Gender Justice Series at University Presbyterian Church, this adult education class will explore theological perspectives on gender justice. Drawing on resources the arts afford us (e.g. visual art, music, and film), I will introduce feminist, womanist, mujerista, and Latina feminist theologies. Together, we will turn our attention to ways these tools can help us shape communities that enflesh the egalitarian values we espouse.

Join the Austin chapter of Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) in their annual gala celebration, “Walking Together,” during which we will raise funds to support the work of providing legal defense for asylum seekers. I will speak as a part of a panel focusing on ways people of faith can stand alongside those most intimately affected by US immigration policy. Purchase tickets here.

Pontifical University Antonianum
Rome, Italy

This panel is part of a book launch and symposium for the Catholic Women Speak collection of essays entitled Visions and Vocations (Paulist Press, 2018). Sheila Pires (South Africa) will moderate a conversation between Leslye Colvin (USA), Mishal Francis (Pakistan/UK), Gertrude Jesufu (Sierra Leone), Anna Kasafi Perkins (Jamaica), Zuzanne Radzik (Poland), and me. Our dialogue will lift up themes from our contributions to the book in light of our cultural contexts.