Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, is co-editor of “A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration,” released this month by Notre Dame Press.
A collection of essays by scholars, pastors and lay people involved in immigration aid work, the book presents an interdisciplinary treatment of the subject of migration, focusing on the theology of migration and the ethics of migration policy.
The authors recognize that one characteristic of globalization is the movement, not only of goods and ideas, but also of people. The crossing of geographical borders confronts Christians, as well as all citizens, with choices: between national security and human insecurity; sovereign national rights and human rights; citizenship and discipleship. The essays focus on the particular problems of immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Father Groody, director of the Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture in Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, also is the author of “Globalization, Spirituality and Justice: Navigating the Path to Peace” and “Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit” and editor of “The Option for the Poor in Christian Theology,” which won the 2007 Pax Christi USA Book Award.
Father Groody has been studying Mexican immigration for some 20 years and has produced two film documentaries, “Dying to Live: A Migrant’s Journey,” which aired on PBS, and “Strangers No Longer,” which was created for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and their Justice for Immigrants Campaign. Both seek to present the “human face” of the immigrant, and Catholic social teaching on migration.
A forthcoming film titled “One Border, One Body: Immigration and the Eucharist” highlights a Mass held at the U.S.-Mexico border with half the community in the U.S., the other half in Mexico, and the altar joined at the fence.
Currently, Father Groody is conducting research on theology and immigration at the Refugee Centre at Oxford University.
Contact: Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., dgroody@nd.edu , Kathryn Pitts, Notre Dame Press, 574-631-3267, pitts.5@nd.edu
Originally published by at newsinfo.nd.edu on February 26, 2008.