Religious Studies Faculty Highlight

How are you able to connect your academic studies of theology with your heritage and upbringing? How do you tie your research to work with IMRI? What is an event that you look forward to with the community? 

My theological method is pastoral y teologia de y en conjunto. That means that lo pastoral or the care for life (like a pastor/shepherd) is always central to our theoretical work. Theology, theos logos, our God-talk, is done with and among others. And that God-talk and care for life is lived in communities and what comes from that living is complicated, messy, and contradictory.  Because of the history of colonization and oppression of peoples who are included in LatinoXa/e communities in the United States - the vast majority of whom are descendents of indigenous peoples, minoritized, living in diaspora, and/or forced migrants, this theological method focuses on lo cotidiando with a center of justice meaning to be in better relationship. It has taken me thirty years of study and almost fifty years of life to write the thoughts in those four sentences succinctly. So, who I am as a scholar is deeply tied to who I am as a Tejana. I love the work I do. At least once per week, I still have a moment of awe that someone pays me to engage in God-talk with many different communities. As a person of faith, it humbles and fascinates me to see the role of faith and religion in the lives of people and in what people create to articulate very deep and complex relationships with religion and faith. 

In my new role as Executive Director of the International Marian Research Institute, I spend far less time in the classroom and more time building partnerships related to the study of Mary. Since I began this job, I notice Mary in places where I had not previously. One of the partnerships built into the new design of IMRI includes promotion of the curricular Marian studies offerings in the Department of Religious Studies. Another partnership built into the design is working with the Marian Library. Applications are now being accepted for the Marian Fellowships. I have worked with the Marian Library for many years, but now I communicate with their faculty almost daily. I am also privileged to learn from those who have worked with IMRI for more years than I, Fr. Johann Roten and Dr. Gloria Dodd. I think their love for Mary keeps that warmth in our new office suite in Humanities 466. 

Three other partnerships connect my research interests with new developments for IMRI. They include a growing partnership with Campus Ministry, particularly with their Hispanic/LatinoXa/e Ministry and their LGBTQ+ Ministry as well as with the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University where our first program is an immersive lecture experience around the movie “Blue Beetle'' to be held at St. Mary’s this November and at UD in the spring 2024. With Campus Ministry and in gratitude to Andres Lopez, we are planning a tamalada educational experience on November 28th beginning at 3:30 pm to discuss the history of corn and wheat as sacred, to learn to make tamales, and to prepare those tamales for Las Posadas to be held on December 1, 2024. With the help of Sabina Marroquin, I will be workshopping my research on Chisme and the Magnificat with those in the LGBTQ+ Ministry.