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Ignatian Spiritual Conversation And Digital Communication Culture, Park Soo Young Theodore

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This study seeks to consider the lived experiences of those vulnerable in the culture of digital communication, especially to suggest the possibility of healing and recovery through the practical application of Ignatian spiritual conversation in the new horizon affecting religious life. For this purpose, this study explores the practical implication of Ignatian spiritual conversation in culture of digital communication by employing a hermeneutical methodology, the triple operation of the description of the phenomenon, critical analysis, and constructive interpretation.

This study highlights the in-depth understanding and practice of authentic conversation, observing the vulnerability of self-isolation and cognitive bias experienced by networked …

Christian – Muslim Dialogue On Hospitality: A Case Of Somali Refugees At The Dadaab Refugee Complex In Kenya, Oscar Angaga Nduri

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates how the theo-philosophical concept of hospitality from the perspectives of African spirituality, Christianity, and Islam, combined with narrative examples, offers practical resources for building bridges between Kenyan Christians and Muslims to alleviate the sufferings of the Somali refugees in the Dadaab Refugee Complex. The refugees' hardship includes poor shelter, inadequate food supply, poor educational and health standards, insecurity, recurring threats of deportation by the Kenyan government, sex and gender-based violence.

The African philosophical concept of ubuntu provides the framework for reconciling Somali refugees, the Kenyan government, and the Somalis who remain in Somalia to build lasting peace …

Eucharistic Communion In A Time Of Pandemic: Insights From Ubuntu In An Extended African Family, Peter Linus Omondi

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The eucharistic celebration is central to the Catholic faith. Deprivation of it impacts the faith of the people. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are one instance in which the faith of the majority of Christians was adversely affected. This thesis postulates that such impacts arose due to an inadequate understanding of the Eucharist. By narrowing on the experience of the people of Rodi-Kopany in Kenya, the thesis proposes that understanding of Eucharistic communion, informed by the lived experience of ubuntu in the extended African family, will be helpful towards the appropriation of the theology of the Eucharist and thereby …

Responding To "Eucharistic Deprivation" In Rural Western Nigeria: Toward An Inculturated Theology And Celebration Of The Eucharist, Michael Abiodun Oluwadare

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

One of the challenges confronting the Catholic Church worldwide is the shortage of priests. Because of this, many parishes, especially in the rural areas, gather for Sunday worship without the Eucharist. This thesis will explore the rural areas in the western part of Nigeria that are faced with the problem of the shortage of priests, economic instability, lack of basic amenities, and poverty. Due to this, the people in this part of the country feel deprived, isolated, and marginalized. The thesis will propose for the commission of lay ministers to preside at the Communion service, liturgies of the Word, and …

Education, Religious Experience, And Conversion : On Pedagogy And The Possibility Of Critical Communities Of Religious Praxis, Yu-Ming Stanley Goh

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Religious experience and conversion, terms associated more with religion than with education, have the potential to transform the way we approach teaching and learning, bringing the transcendental reality of our lives to the fore as we seek to understand the world and ourselves. This thesis will argue for the significance, relevance and use of religious experience as pedagogical category and will suggest that the formation of what I term Critical Communities of Religious Praxis as means of fostering conversion towards religious experience can be an effective means of incorporating both into classroom processes. Critical Communities of Religious Praxis are learning …

Living A Good Death Or Dying For A Life Well Lived: Theological Understanding And Pastoral Applications On Issues Regarding Death And Afterlife Issues Among Vietnamese-American Catholics, Tuan Ngo

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

In this thesis, I contend that living a good death demands dying for a life well-examined and well-lived. I will approach this study from the historical, theological, and interreligious perspective. Historically, I will examine how the traditional Vietnamese understanding of life after death and its relationship with loved ones is influenced by Buddhist and Confucian elements. Theologically, I will analyze how life after death is understood through Christian history. As noted above, theologically I will make specific use of St. Francis de Sales’ attachment to “Jesus Christ crucified”.

A Fearful Warning: J.B. Metz’S Memoria Passionis In Response To Western Culture’S Discomfort With Dying, Death And Grief, David R. Ford

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This study examines Johannes Baptist Metz’s theological focus of the “awakening of memory,” and specifically the connection of such awakening to the memoria passionis, mortis et resurrectionis Jesu Christi, as well as the opening to a new narrative, leading to a freedom for praxis and mission and finally, leading to transformation. This awakening can be a path that confronts the dysfunction of a death denying and avoidant culture, as well as one that challenges us to confront suffering of so many kinds, especially that of the poor and marginalized. Such a theological focus, in fact, has the potential to …

Discovering The Role Of Desire In Ignatian Spirituality For Discernment Of Vocation In The Jesuit Candidate House Of Vietnam, Pham Dinh Cu

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Many candidates in the Jesuit Candidate House of Vietnam have shared that their vocation began with desires. We do not judge whether they are good or bad desires, but we can sure that those desires were influenced by various factors: culture, society, traditions, family background, and so on. This study is the discovering that in Ignatian spirituality, desire can direct people to God, giving them a foundation and criterion for discerning their vocation. Desire can also transform their spiritual life.

First, it presents an overview of the Vietnamese context, including the Catholic Church, religious vocations, and Jesuit vocations and presents …

The Contribution Of The Catholic Church To Post-Civil War Conflict Resolution In Chad, Rimasbé Dionbo Jean Claude

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

I argue that if Chadian society continues to feel the effects of the 1979 civil war, then it is because solutions or an adequate method of approaching the conflict have not been applied. On the one hand, there is a lack of clear political will in the management of the battle, and on the other hand, civil society, including the Church, has not been sufficiently involved in the process of conflict resolution. For there to be social harmony, the Chadian people need a consequent reconciliation. Because of the influential presence of the Catholic Church in Chadian society, we consider it …

Re-Imagining An African Family Ecclesiology In Dialogue With Ratzinger’S Christo-Pneuma Communion Ecclesiology, Tegha Afuhwi Nji

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis seeks to elaborate an African ecclesiology that brings into conversation African notions of family and Ratzinger’s theological reflection on koinōnia. The model of Church-as-family was popularized by the 1994 Synod of African Bishops, and since then it has been espoused by numerous African theologians, who view it as the African response to the communion ecclesiology elaborated by the Second Vatican Council.

This thesis, however, seeks to present a unique perspective of Church-as-family. In the first place, while the prevalent African family ecclesiologies tend to present the aspect of communion or fellowship in ways that undermine the institutional …

Towards A Pastoral, Apologetic Approach To La Santa Muerte Devotion, Henrry Christopher Mendez Fajardo

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Death is and will continue to be a most intriguing reflection topic. It is interesting to note how the topic of death extends its reach to different areas of study which range from the most biological and material to the most philosophical and spiritual. Undoubtedly, death does not cease to be an event rooted in all aspects of our material reality, since life only makes sense in relation to death.

In recent decades in some Latin American contexts, devotion to the personification of death has increased significantly. In a special way, this devotion has gained greater strength and relevance in …

Latin American Biblical Hermeneutics & Popular And Community Reading Of The Bible: Some Inputs From Race And Ethnicity Criticism Within The Hellenistic And Jewish Culture Of The First Century, Diego Salazar Galvis

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

After the Second Vatican Council, scholars have used new lenses to approach the Bible as a way to respond to the cultural and socio-political realities of multiple and diverse contexts. Based on my background and Latino essence, I advocate for biblical reading and interpretation that comes from a Latin American setting, in which popular education and liberation theology come together in most of the communities. In this research, I will present a form of mutual collaboration between race-ethnicity biblical criticism and the Popular & Community Reading of the Bible (PCRB) perspective.

So far, biblical scholarship has not yet integrated elements …

The Oracle Against Israel (Amos 2:6-8): In The Context Of The Oracles Against The Nation (Amos 1:3--2:8), Alfred Emeka Amos

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Amos 2:6-8, commonly referred to as the Oracle Against Israel constitutes the focus of this study. The oracle deals primarily with domestic crimes committed against right relationship among members within the Israelite community (as enshrined in the covenant). However, this oracle against Israel is conspicuously situated within a cycle of oracles, characteristically known as the Oracles Against the Nations. This study argues that this placement of the Oracle Against Israel (Amos 2:6-8) is not accidental. Rather it serves as the culmination of the Oracles Against the Nations (Amos l :3-2:8) disclosing that when injustice reigns within a nation, it reaps …

Remembering Who We Are: Liturgical Memory In The Symbolic Language Of Louis-Marie Chauvet To Combat The Bifurcation Of The Body Of Christ, Keith A. Maczkiewicz

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis addresses the divide that is ever-present in the modern Catholic Church, and the distance between so-called ‘conservative’ and ‘progressive’ Catholics, who, with increasing regularity, prefer not to worship together, rather retreating to their own partisan camps. In this thesis, questions about personal and ecclesial identity are raised and the “foundational theology of sacramentality” of the renowned twentieth-century theologian Louis-Marie Chauvet is brought into dialogue with the present situation. Chauvet’s fundamental understanding of the sacraments as something we do as corporeal individuals gathered as the corporate Body of Christ (and not simply as some ‘things’ we get) has great …

Evolution Science And Imago Dei: A Richer And More Robust Treatment Of Theological Anthropology, Gansa Tchétongbé Cathérin Paterne

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

In my thesis, Evolution Science and the Imago Dei: A Richer and more Robust Treatment of Theological Anthropology, the first chapter demonstrates, from the historical analysis of the content attributed to the concept imago Dei over the centuries, that different ages in the Church have interpreted the content of that expression in different ways. From this historical analysis that the imago Dei assumes different meanings at different points in history, I justify my expectation that the term is open to ever new meanings.

With the second chapter, by exploring the evolutionary contribution to the emergence of modern human, I …

Kāḇôḏ (Glory) RûAḤ (Spirit) And Yaḏ (Hand) Divine Presence And Activity Of Ezekiel (Ezek 1-3; 8-11; 40-48) Thirdspacing The Exile And Its Implications To The Theology Of Divine Presence, Malachy Udochukwu Theophilus

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

In Ezek 1-3; 8-11 and 40-48, Ezekiel saw the ("visions of God"). In these visions one observes that the presence of YHWH is experienced in three different spaces: in the temple, in exile and on the mountain east of the city. These manifestations of the divine presence in different spaces challenged the traditional priestly understanding of YHWH as exclusively "tabernacled" in the Jerusalem temple. Thus in this research, I investigate, not only where God is really found, but also the implication of the movements of the (glory of God) from the sacred space to the non sacred space and back …

Reclaiming The Dynamics Of Ignatian Spiritual Conversation: Towards Constructing A Spiritual Conversation Paradigm For Ongoing Apostolic Discernment In Bihar, India, Perianayagam Seluvannan

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis attempts to reclaim and re-imagine the privileged and time-tested tool of Ignatian spiritual conversation in order to discern the apostolic ministries in the diverse socio-cultural, religious and ecclesiastical context of present-day Bihar, India, as a response to the Society’s and the Church’s call to discern the actions of the Spirit in the lives of the people. My research further explores the way of proceeding in spiritual conversation among the people, through which the founding Jesuit fathers of the Bihar mission began their apostolic ministries, in order to construct a paradigm for an effective ongoing discernment and rejuvenation of …

The Question Of Method In Theology: An African Response To Bernard Lonergan Using Bantu Theological Anthropology, Andrew Simpasa

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The question of method in theology has become the locus of contemporary intercultural and cross-cultural theological investigations. For any theological system to claim credulity in the public opinion of theological discourse it must demonstrate credible methodological processes inherent in its epistemological process to affirm the validity of its knowledge claims. It is method in theology which is among the criteria used to evaluate the theological integrity of an epistemic system. This paper, therefore, endeavors to explain the existence of method(s) not only in discursive and formal theologies but also in the theologies of ordinary people and communities alike. The paper …

The Dynamics Of Conversion Of Ignatius Of Loyola As A Contribution To The Novice Formation In The Context Of Vietnam, Tang Van Nguyen

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Understanding the meaning of conversion as a new way of reorientation of oneself towards God and others can empower the Jesuit novice toward the fulfillment of his vocation. For Christians and especially for Jesuit novices, understanding conversion is celebrating and actualizing conversion to God in daily life and always choosing Jesus Christ as the principle and foundation of personal transformation.

Understanding conversion as authentic self-transformation can support interreligious dialogue between Christians and other religious traditions in Vietnam. Authentic conversion leads a person to realize the forgiving and compassionate presence of transcendent Reality. Respectful interreligious dialogue also challenges one’s own conversion. …

Towards A Northern Ugandan Church As "Field Hospital": For A Pastorally Attuned Appropriation Of Church Teaching, James Moro

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This study focuses on northern Uganda in the context of war between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. I argue that the idea of Church as "field hospital" can help the Church there to reflect on its mission of bringing lasting healing, reconciliation and reintegration.

During the war, the people experienced displacement, gender and sexual violence, abduction, recruitment into the rebel ranks especially the children, mutilations of all kinds and horrific deaths. Moreover, the people were herded into internally displaced people' s camps with very appalling conditions. The Church apart from attending to some of …

Development-Induced Displacement: An Ethical And Theological Reflection On Protection Of The Rights Of The Adivasis Of Chhotanagpur, India, Amit Roshan Lakra

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Land for the Adivasis is not just an economic resource but a spiritual resource as well. Displacement of the Adivasis from their land in the name of “national development” is unjust and unethical. Therefore, it is a violation of the rights of the Adivasi.

In this thesis, I will first present the life of the Adivasis looking through their history until the present. Particularly, I will present their relationship with the land (earth), humans and the non-human world. In doing so, I will argue that the Adivasis are both victims of oppression and models of protecting the earth and nature. …

The Dynamic Of Belief And Unbelief As Developed In Dostoevsky Crime And Punishment And Its Rthe Dynamic Of Belief And Unbelief As Developed In Dostoevsky Crime And Punishment And Its Relevance For Contemopary Life Elevance For Contemopary Life, Santiago García Pintos

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

A laudable piece of writing often generates significant movements within the reader, sometimes even altering one’s approach to reality. This thesis is a study of the Russian novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. My overall conclusion is that the classic offers a first-hand vision of God’s presence in our everyday reality. Through the work Dostoevsky proposes a God who is present to the poor and acts in a special way through them. Even in the most miserable of contexts, God is seen as present and active in the lives of the suffering and the outcast. From this analysis I …

College Ethnic Catholic Communities: Ethnoreligious Pathways For An Intercultural Church, Kyle Ko Francisco Shinseki

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

When children of Catholic immigrants leave their families and ethnic Catholic communities for multiethnic colleges, they often encounter a sense of alienation. As this experience challenges their sense of identity, the resources typically available on their respective campuses either offer a de-ethnicized version of their religious identity or a secularized version of their ethnic identity. College ethnic Catholic communities offer them a space where they can explore the intersection of their faith and ethnicity, selectively integrate and adapt aspects of their ethnoreligious heritage received from their families and faith communities, and construct a second generation ethnoreligious identity.

Through interviews, surveys, …

The Rite Of Christian Initiation For Adults: Its Potential Of Revitalizing The Basic Ecclesial Communities Of Bontoc-Lagawe, Bento F. Tamang

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

One of the most important innovations of Vatican II is the restoration of the Catechumenate and its integration into the Lenten and Easter celebrations as practiced in the early centuries of Christianity. But it is surprising that in the Philippines in general and in the Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe in particular, the RCIA is not yet in place. I would like, therefore, to argue in this paper that the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) in Bontoc-Lagawe could revitalize the Basic Ecclesial Communities of the vicariate. The BEC experience, in which I was immersed and formed, is …

Depicting The Incarnation: Theodore The Studite And Engelbert Mveng On The Particularity And Universality Of Christ, Oke Marien Robert Gbedolo

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The Second Vatican Council calls for the inclusion of diverse cultures into the life

of the Church (Gaudium et Spes, nn.53-62) . This thesis explores the implications of this call in the field of iconography. It wishes to claim that iconographic contextualization does not jeopardize the universality of the Church, but it enriches its catholicity. To appreciate the dialectic between particularity and universality, I put in dialogue the iconology of Theodore the Studite (759-826) and the iconography of Engelbert Mveng (1930-1995).

Although the two theologians do not belong to the same period, they sh are an equal

eagerness to defend …

The Inculturation Of Taiwanese Catholicism: The Yanshui Holy Spirit Church, Aloysius Ming-Te Hsu

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Taiwanese Catholicism shows the signs of regression from previous efforts on inculturation of Christian arts. The images of Jesus and saints displayed in public still retain their Western features. However, Taiwanese-indigenized Christian arts have made progress in the last few decades. The Yanshui Holy Spirit Church is a very important example. The Catholic Church has also highlighted the importance of making an authentic local Church, especially after the Second Vatican Council. The Federation of Asian Bishop's Conferences (F ABC) has made concrete guidelines for building an Asian local Church, which is in dialogue with the life reality of the Asian …

Towards A Renewed Theology Of Personal Agency: Origen’S Theological Vision And The Challenges Of Fatalism And Determinism, Bernard B. Poggi

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

In our own contemporary context, there seems to be nothing more important than for a person to be able to speak about their achievements as being specifically their own. Yet it seems that due to two trends found in theology and science, it is increasingly difficult to talk about individual agency. The first trend which undercuts human agency is found in theological fatalism.¹ We will look at the case of theological fatalism found in Islamic thought in the idea of qadar, the power of God by which everything is commanded.² The second trend comes to us on account …

“The Female Face” Of Hiv/Aids As An Ethical Challenge To The Catholic Church In Uganda: Lessons Of Catholic Social Teaching, Athanasius Kikoba

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Since the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Uganda in the 1980s, it has become increasingly evident that the HIV/AIDS scourge disproportionately affects more women and girls than men and boys. Women and girls suffer a particular vulnerability due to this pandemic. There are social, economic, political, and cultural factors that precipitate and aggravate the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls in Uganda.

This dissertation contends that Catholic Social Teaching offers us one of the best and most comprehensive and integrative ways for addressing the HIV/AIDS scourge. We argue specifically for a rights-based solidarity as the most comprehensive and …

Eucharist As Fruit Of The Earth And The Environmental Degradation In The Niger Delta: Implication Of Louis Mariechauvet’S Tripartite Cycle Of Gift, Reception And Return Gift For An Ecological Conversion, Michael Edomobi

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

There is a heightened global consciousness now more than ever before on the protection of the environment. Of late is the encyclical letter Laudato si of Pope Francis on care for our common home. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is the context of my research. This region is endowed with massive oil deposits, which have been extracted for decades by the government of Nigeria and by multinational oil companies, at the expense of the people of the region whose environment suffer degradation and their means of livelihood destroyed. This study juxtaposes Eucharist as fruit of the earth and the …

“Pilgrimage In Service Of Mission In The Context Of The Contemporary Korean Church”, Min-Hwi Kim

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

There is a saying that life is a pilgrimage. This journey is also echoed through Vatican II’s statement that "The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father."¹ As such, a pilgrimage is an expressive act of desire to engage spirituality on a practical level, and "a journey to a special or holy place as a way of making an impact on one’s life with the revelation of God …