La Vida Sacra: Contemporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology

(Paperback)

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La Vida Sacra: Contemporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology is an original, insightful approach to the sacraments from the perspective and actual practice of Latinos over the centuries. It offers a distinctive take on the actual belief and enculturation of the sacraments in the Latino experience and context. Due to the growing presence of Hispanics in this country, churches are looking for new and innovative ways to fit them into their congregations. The existence of Hispanics and, more importantly, the value of their religious experiences are being gradually accepted in theological societies. Eduardo Fernndez and James Empereur's new book fills the need for a more comprehensive and richer context for sacramental theology.

As the newest book in the Celebrating Faith Series, it is ideal for theology courses, as well as directors of ministerial programs and their students who are looking to place Hispanic sacramentality in the larger framework of sacramental theology.

Reviews

La Vida Sacra is an exceptional, welcome, and timely work. Its ambitious and focused examination weaves together cosmic sacramentality, pastoral practice, and culturally relevant understandings of ministry. It speaks from a particular setting in a way that makes it must reading for anyone interested in contextualized ministry in the shifting currents of the twenty-first century. -- Edwin David Aponte, Louisville Institute
The authors do a fine job not only of examining and analyzing experience but also incorporating the scholarly insights of, among others, a wide variety of U.S. Hispanic theologians and liturgists...For anyone seeking a broader approach and willing to enter into the Hispanic perspective provided by the authors, it is a pioneering work well worth studying and provides a well-grounded theological understanding of an important aspect of sacramentality. -- Raul Gomez-Ruiz, S.D.S. * Worship *
Bridging the divide between pastoral and academic theologies, the book brings the spiritual and theological resources of a marginalized people to bear on the larger Catholic tradition in a way that can only enhance our appreciation of the richness of the sacramentality of both the people and of the overall tradition. The book would make an excellence text for graduate, seminary, or upper-division undergraduate courses. -- 2008 * Theological Studies *
This contemporary Hispanic sacramental theology is both pastoral and spiritual. The book would make an excellent text for graduate courses in sacramental theology. * The Americas: A Quarterly Review of Latin American History *
By as early as 2030, one in four Americans will be of Hispanic descent, no doubt influencing how we do church in the U.S. When we consider the rapid increase in numbers of Hispanic congregations and Latino/as within predominantly Euroamerican churches, we are struck with the lack of attention given by the academy to pastoral practices rooted in the Hispanic experience. Drs. Fernndez and Empereur masterfully explore church sacraments and rituals conducted from a community-based Latina/o perspective. Not only is this book required reading for anyone wishing to be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the Hispanic community, but it also challenges non-Hispanics to consider what they can learn from Latino/as so Euroamericans can better enrich their own spiritual lives. -- Miguel A. De La Torre, professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies, Iliff School of Theology

Author Bio

James Empereur, S.J. has taught sacramental theology for over 25 years and is currently working as a liturgist at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas.Eduardo Fernndez, S.J. is an associate professor of pastoral theology and ministry at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.