MISSION AND MINISTRY | Who is the Virgin of Guadalupe? What does she mean to millions of Latinos/as? How does the church interpret her? These questions will be explored by Kristy Nabhan-Warren, professor and the V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of Iowa, during this year’s Mary Milligan, R.S.H.M. Endowed Lecture in Spirituality. Professor Nabhan-Warren will use historical, theological and cultural lenses to compare recent manifestations of Guadalupe with the prevailing heavenly-focused Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe has always been an inextricable part of Mexican and Mexican-American culture, but in recent times she is being embraced by working class Latinos/as, hipster Latina artists and liberation theologians alike. Her rising relevance could be attributed to a society grappling with issues of violence, poverty and racism. La Virgen’s accompaniment of her pilgrims on a mission for justice and peace serves as a source of hope and strength.
Professor Nabhan-Warren is trained as a social historian of religion in the U.S. and as an anthropologist of religion. Specifically, her research and teaching focuses on the relationship between religion, migration, ethnicity and work. She has written several books and articles addressing themes of direct access to divine power and inspiration.
The 2018 Mary Milligan lecture will be March 22 at 7 p.m. in Roski Dining Room. A reception will follow in the Marymount Institute, University Hall 3002. The lecture is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. Register here.
Named in honor of Mary Milligan, R.S.H.M., the lecture series began in 2013 and was established to create a forum for critical reflection on spirituality in service to the Church, the academy and the world, and in keeping with the charism of the R.S.H. M. community – “that all may have life and have it to the full.”
