2019 Fr. Lydio F. Tomasi, C.S. Annual Lecture on International Migration | Border Spirituality: ‘Tu eres mi otro yo’

Established in 2014, the Fr. Lydio F. Tomasi, C.S. Annual Lecture on International Migration addresses a migration-related topic of pressing concern to faith communities. Fr. Tomasi, a founding member of CMS, directed the institute from 1968 to 2001. Past lectures have been delivered by: Dr. Hosffman Ospino, Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education at Boston College; Fr. Allan Figueroa Deck, Distinguished Scholar of Theology and Latino Studies at Loyola Marymount University; and Dr. Maria Clara Bingemer, Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC) and Brazilian Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Democracy and Human Development in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Co-sponsored with the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, the 2019 Fr. Lydio F. Tomasi, C.S. Annual Lecture on International Migration was delivered by Msgr. Arturo J. Bañuelas, S.T.D., Pastor of St. Mark’s Parish in El Paso, Texas. After earning his doctorate from the Gregorian University in Rome, Msgr. Bañuelas was the founding director of the Tepeyac Institute, one of the largest diocesan ministry formation centers, training laity for parish ministry. The institute is distinctive in its formation, which is shaped by the reality of the border. Msgr. Bañuelas has been widely recognized and honored for his advocacy on behalf of farmworkers, immigrants and for his work on issues of life and justice at the border. He is a popular speaker and teacher who addresses topics of theology, faith and politics with various civic, academic, religious, pastoral and health organizations.  Msgr. Bañuelas has founded a number of initiatives in theology, ministry and border activism over the past forty years. He was a co-founder of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) and most recently established the Hope Border Institute, which focuses on justice issues in the three border dioceses of El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, New Mexico and Juarez, Mexico. He also currently serves on the board of directors for the Border Network for Human Rights.

Additional speakers included: Donald Kerwin, Executive Director, Center for Migration Studies; Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., Dean and University Professor, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University; and Fr. Eduardo C. Fernández, S.J., S.T.D., Professor of Pastoral Theology and Ministry, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University.