Sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies, Hosffman Ospino, PhD’s lecture is titled “The American Catholic Experience: Lessons From Spaces in Creative Tension.”
The 30th Annual Christopher F. Mooney, S.J., Lecture in Theology, Religion & Society will be presented by Hosffman Ospino, PhD, in the Barone Campus Center’s Dogwood Room at Fairfield University on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 5:30 p.m. This in-person event is free and open to the public.
Contemporary American Catholicism continues to be renewed and redefined by fresh expressions of cultural and racial/ethnic pluralism. In his lecture on Oct. 25, Dr. Ospino will identify lessons learned from diverse urban parishes and Catholic universities serving non-traditional populations. His remarks will shine a spotlight on these hopeful spaces and demonstrate how their changing demographics and geographical growth have led them to become places that nurture and celebrate creative forms of ecclesial life.
For example, noted Nancy Dallavalle, PhD, Director of the Center for Catholic Studies, “This is not about a future scenario for the American Church; today the majority of Catholics under the age of 18 are Hispanic. As Dr. Ospino will note in his lecture, this demographic change offers a great vitality to the Church, and it also speaks to where, geographically, Catholicism in the U.S. is growing and how the Church can best engage with the faithful.”
Dr. Ospino’s lecture is one of three sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies this fall semester with a theme of “mapping how American Catholicism is lived today,” said Dr. Dallavalle. “Further, we are delighted to announce that, after this opening lecture, Dr. Ospino will return to Fairfield in November 2024, to unpack the U.S. Catholic conversation during the year of a presidential election.”
Hosffman Ospino, PhD, is an associate professor of theology and religious education at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, where he is also chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.
The principal investigator for several national studies on Hispanic Catholics, Dr. Hosffman’s research explores the interplay of faith and culture in the process of building faith communities in multicultural contexts. He is the author/editor of 20 books and more than 250 articles.
Dr. Hosffman is a former president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) and currently serves as an officer of the Catholic Society of America (CTSA). He serves on the boards of several national organizations and is actively involved in ministerial activities in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Please join us in person for the 30th Annual Christopher F. Mooney, S.J., Lecture in Theology, Religion & Society at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25 in the Barone Campus Center’s Dogwood Room, located at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. This lecture is free and open to the public, and will also be livestreamed. To register for the livestream and learn more about Fairfield University's Center for Catholic Studies, please visit fairfield.edu/cs.
