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The Experience Of A Personal Relationship With God: William Barry And The 20th Century Renewal Of Ignatian Spirituality, Chris Williams

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

William A. Barry made a significant contribution to the renewal of Ignatian Spirituality following Vatican II. A central theme of his life and work was the experience of a personal relationship with God. This thesis will tell the story of how Barry came to view the experience of a personal relationship with God as central to his own spiritual life and to Ignatian spirituality. It first explores Barry’s upbringing and formation in a pre- Vatican II Catholic Church and Society of Jesus, before turning to his experience of the transformations in the Church and the Society following Vatican II. It …

Happiness In Thomas Aquinas And Bernard Lonergan's Tripolar Dialectics Of History: Towards Africa's Flourishing, Chrisanttus Nakanda Berneri

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

While exercising ministry in my home country, Cameroon, I have lived the negative effects of the internal confusion that can sometimes bedevil human life and the external chaos that can envelop society because of war. The case in point which I consider throughout this thesis is that of James Fonyuy, who experienced the death of his parents and family members. The savage hostility in my country and many other African countries has clearly revealed to me the troubling dichotomy between faith professed and faith lived. For this reason, this thesis attempts at eliminating this perceived wedge and replacing it instead …

African Spirituality For Ecological Conversion: The Case Of Mining In The Western Region Of Ghana, Nana Kofi Agyapong

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Gold mining in the Western Region of Ghana poses a major dilemma. On the one hand, it serves as a great source of revenue for the region and the country at large. It also provides employment for millions of people. On the other hand, indiscriminate gold mining methods destroy ecological resources like land, water, and air, as well as the quality of life of people in the region. Consequently, the negative impacts of these environmentally hostile practices challenge us to re-evaluate our relationship with the environment. It is a call not to see the environment and its resources as something …

Family As A School Of Social Virtues And The Mission Of Social Transformation Of The Catholic Church In Vietnam, Trieu M. Nguyen

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This dissertation explores the Church’s ability to effectively communicate Catholic Social Teaching (CST) principles to its followers in Vietnam. Using virtue ethics as a guide, I argue that the social vocation of the Christian family can become a potential channel for applying the principles of CST to the daily life of believers. The dissertation employs the See–Judge–Act method to assess and discern the current reality and proposes some family practices. Discerning the negative and positive signs of time through the lens of historical, sociological, and political studies, I propose that one way the Church enables its believers to engage more …

Reframing Reproductive Rights: Pope Francis’ Genius Of Women As A Paradigm Of Conversation Between Filipina Women And Church Leadership, Alfonso P. Suico Jr

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

2022 marks the tenth anniversary since the Philippine Reproductive Health Law was passed. Even as the Catholic bishops opposed the law, the surrounding debates raised questions on reproductive rights, especially for women. The Church’s teachings on sexuality and reproduction are based on the goods of marriage, albeit with a physicalist framing. While these teachings disenfranchise women, recent popes, including Pope Francis, recognize their giftedness and inherent genius. This dissertation proposes how the genius of women, a concept affirmed by Catholic teaching, can become a paradigm of conversation on women’s rights, including matters related to reproduction. Given the complexity of the …

“A New Face Of Loreto”: Mission And Transformation In The Post-Vatican Ii Church, Sudha Arul

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This dissertation documents the transformation of mission and ministry undertaken by the Sisters of Loreto in Kolkata, India, over the past 180 years. This IBVM congregation, self-defined as a dynamic community of women dedicated to social justice and empowering the poor and marginalized, has embraced a radical new focus on direct service to unhoused children who live on the streets. The renewal is rooted in the charism and spirituality of Mary Ward (1585-1645), foundress of the Loreto community, who, at a time when women religious were required to live in monastic enclosure, sought a new apostolic form of religious life …

The (Im)Possibility Of Forgiveness: Just Peace And Reconciliation In A Culture Of Sexual Violence, Ellen Jewett

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Sexual violence is often viewed as an individual sin, which problematically ignores the sinful structures that enable and incentivize perpetrators and restrict victim-survivors. These social structures hamper the possibility of forgiveness, as the operative cultural norms do not change even if a perpetrator repents, meaning cycles of harm continue. Reforming sinful structures means naming the embodied vices of those in power and subsequently building a framework to create lasting change. This framework places priority on victim-survivors, employs principles of just peace, and strives towards right relationship and reconciliation but not necessarily forgiveness. The Catholic Church has rich pastoral and sacramental …

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 …

Jesuit Priesthood And The Ministry Of Reconciliation: A Theological Examination Of U.S. Jesuits In The Public Square, Alex Anthony C. Llanera S. J.

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Since the inception of the Society of Jesus, Jesuit priesthood has consistently been linked to the ministry of reconciliation. In this thesis, I look at the historical, ecclesial, and theological justifications that led the early companions to dedicate their ministry to this specific work. I also examine how this ministry has developed through time and how it is carried out today in the United States. Given the growing secularism in contemporary society and a strict U.S. constitutional provision that separates church and state affairs, I investigate how the ministry of reconciliation can be carried out in these circumstances. Finally, I …

Impact Evaluation Under The Banner Of The Cross: An Integrated Approach To The Evaluation Of Poverty Alleviation Programs, Stephen M. Pitts

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis proposes normative criteria of individual and social welfare to evaluate poverty alleviation programs. Since World War II, both governments and NGOs have implemented a variety of development projects to address the poverty of individuals and groups around the world. The emerging field of impact evaluation applies a methodology borrowed from clinical drug trials to measure the effect of these projects on the populations that they serve. Sixty years of the history of development reveal that despite the sophistication of the statistical techniques, the field cannot offer basic guidance on what outcomes to measure.

In response, this thesis develops …

Virtue Ethics As Moral Formation For Ignatian Education In Chile, Juan Pablo Valenzuela

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The Catholic Church in Chile is in a state of moral perplexity. On one side, the hierarchy of the Church, moral theologians, and teachers propose and teach a morality based on rules and principles that does not take account of the context of the country and creates a distance from the moral perspective of the majority of the Chilean people. On the other side, Catholic people are abandoning the Church, especially because of her approach to moral issues and her rule-based moral teachings. The problem of this moral perplexity lies in the deontological approach through which the Church proposes and …

A Pastoral Approach To The Topic Of Sexuality In Priestly Formation Programs In Parts Of Eastern Europe, Vitaliy Osmolovskyy

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

In this thesis, I explore a pastoral approach towards the topic of sexuality during priestly formation programs in parts of Eastern Europe, at the same time, identifying many elements that surround this particular topic in the different societies where the candidates were raised. In this world of rapid change, one in which life moves quickly and people often seek novelty, it is necessary to hold on to the fact that we are sexual beings, ones open to growth and maturity. Regardless of vocation, sexuality remains an essential component of who we are. This work engages relevant literature, ecclesial documents, some …

The Contemplative-Prophetic Spirituality Of Thomas Merton: Its Relevance For The Consecrated Life In India, Fabian Jose

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Consecrated life in the Catholic Church is a vital and healing presence in Indian society. Religious men and women make an integral contribution to the society through their institutions in the fields of education, spirituality, medical care, social services, and other charitable activities. In the present context of India, however, consecrated men and women can experience challenges of relevance and identity in their vocations. These concerns have their basis in the fundamental need for a renewal of religious life itself in India, one which is imbued with a Christ-centered spirituality and reflects the prophetic charism that marks apostolic religious life. …

Virtues/Pāramitās: St. Ignatius Of Loyola And Sāntideva As Companions On The Way Of Life, Tomislav Spiranec

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This dissertation conducts a comparative study of the cultivation of the virtues in Catholic spiritual tradition and the perfections (pāramitās) in the Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions in view of the spiritual needs of contemporary Croatian young adults. The comparison is carried out through the exploration of two key texts: The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, a sixteenth-century Basque Catholic, and the founder of the Society of Jesus, and The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryāvatāra) of Śāntideva, an eight-century Indian Mahāyāna monk.

The study links the central teachings of the Catholic faith to the daily life and identity of young Catholics …

The Contribution Of The Just Policing Ethics Of Gerald W. Schlabach To The Social Ethics Of War And Peace, Dennis Purificacion

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The following study investigates developments in the Just Policing ethics of Professor Gerald W. Schlabach, so as to contribute to the foundations of a new paradigm of the social ethics of war and peace. Traditional categories of the Just War Doctrine and Pacifism do not necessarily provide an adequate moral framework for critiquing the complexities of modern warfare in the 21st Century and call for a new synthesis. The principles provided by Schlabach in Just Policing provide a hermeneutical key in developing a global social ethics for humanitarian military intervention and even provide ethical foundations for the abolishment of war …

In The Name Of Water: An Inculturated Moral Vision To Address China's Water Crisis, Feng Xu

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates China’s water crisis and analyzes its social, economic, political, and ethical causes, in order to find a possible solution. I argue that China’s water crisis is a human crisis. Therefore, to address it, I present an inculturated moral vision. This inculturated moral vision is a combination of Confucian notion of the harmony between Heaven, Earth, and all in between, and the Catholic notion of solidarity with the poor or preferential option for the poor.

The cosmological unity or harmony with everything else is the perfection of Jen in Confucianism. Likewise, solidarity with the poor or preferential option …