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Ada María Isasi-Díaz (March 22, 1943 – May 13, 2012) was a Cuban-American
theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
who served as professor emerita of
ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
and
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at
Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three sch ...
in
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,
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. As a Hispanic theologian, she was an innovator of Hispanic theology in general and specifically of mujerista theology. She was founder and co-director of the Hispanic Institute of Theology at Drew University until her retirement in 2009.


Early life and education

Born on March 22, 1943, Isasi-Díaz was born and raised in
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
, Cuba, to a
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family. Her parents were Josefina Díaz Isasi and Domingo G. Isasi-Battle. She graduated from Merici Academy in 1960 and arrived in the United States as a political refugee later that year. She entered the Order of St. Ursula and earned a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree from the
College of New Rochelle The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York, but also in Australia, England, and Germany. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline O ...
in New York. In 1967, she went to
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
, Peru, as a missionary for three years. Upon returning to the United States in 1969, she left the order and taught high school for several years in
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, then lived in Spain for 16 months before returning again to the United States. She settled in
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, New York. Isasi-Díaz earned a master of arts in
medieval history In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
from SUNY Brockport. In 1983, she continued her graduate studies at Union Theological Seminary in
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where she earned both a Master of Divinity degree and a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degree with a concentration in Christian ethics in 1990. In 2006, she was awarded a Doctor of Divinity ''honoris causa'' from Colgate University.


Career

Her studies and involvement in the feminist theological movement led her to begin to develop a theology from the perspective of Latinas in the United States, which led to the development of mujerista theology. This theology included their religious experiences, practices, and responses to the daily struggles of life. Early in her career Ada was very involved in the
women's ordination The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...
movement within the Catholic Church. Because of this, Latina women living in the US who are keenly aware of how sexism, ethnic prejudice, and economic oppression subjugate them, use the term ''mujerista'' to refer to themselves and use mujerista theology to refer to the explanations of their faith and its role in their struggle for liberation. She was on the faculty of the theological and graduate schools of Drew University from 1991 to 2009. She was a panelist and occasional contributor to the "On Faith" online discussions at ''
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'' and ''
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''.


Mujerista theology

The term ''Mujerista'' was coined by Isasi-Díaz. Mujerista is both a self-identification as well as being a conceptual framework, used in thinking and understanding people, ideas and movements. Latina women living in the US who are aware of how sexism, ethnic prejudice, and economic oppression limit their wholeness of life, use the term ''mujerista'' to refer to themselves as well as to mujerista theology, a type of
liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". I ...
that categorizes their faith and its role in their struggle for liberation from distinct experiences of subjugation.


Controversy

In 2007 she became an unofficial church pastor after the
Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...
closed Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church in East Harlem, the parish church she attended while in seminary. A group of parishioners began holding protests and prayer meetings outside the building, but eventually it became a neighborhood institution where Isasi-Díaz delivered sermons. In March 2012, Isasi-Díaz's invitation as a keynote speaker at the ''Vanderhaar Symposium'' at
Christian Brothers University Christian Brothers University is a private Roman Catholic higher education institution in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded in 1871 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order. History Christian Brothers University w ...
was canceled due to her support for the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood and because she ministered at her nephew's
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
ceremony at a Unitarian Church in Washington in 2009.


Death

She died, after receiving her
last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...
, in New York on May 13, 2012, from cancer at age 69. Her
requiem mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
was held at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
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, on 19 May 2012. Later that day she was buried at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery.


Publications

*''En la Lucha/In the Struggle: Elaborating a Mujerista Theology'' (Second edition, Fortress Press, 2003) *''La Lucha Continues: Mujerista Theology'' (Orbis Books, 2004) *''Mujerista Theology: A Theology for the 21st Century'' (Orbis Books, 1996) * Sixth chapter of ''Transforming the Faiths of Our Fathers: Women Who Changed American Religion'', edited by Ann Braude. (2004)


Co-edited/Co-authored books

* Ada María Isasi-Díaz and Fernando F. Segovia, ed. ''Hispanic/Latino Theology: Challenge and Promise'' (Fortress Press, 2006). * A. Isasi-Díaz and Yolanda Tarango, ''Hispanic Women: Prophetic Voice in the Church'' (Harper & Row, 1988)


See also

*
Christian feminism Christian feminism is a school of Christian theology which seeks to advance and understand the equality of men and women morally, socially, spiritually, and in leadership from a Christian perspective. Christian feminists argue that contributio ...
* Las Hermanas (organization) * Womanist theology *
Modernism in the Catholic Church Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
(Heresy)


References


External links


Faculty page at Drew University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isasi-Diaz, Ada Maria 1943 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American women writers American ethicists American feminists American women non-fiction writers American writers of Cuban descent Christian ethicists Christian feminist theologians College of New Rochelle alumni Cuban emigrants to the United States Cuban Roman Catholics Cuban women writers Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Drew University faculty Feminist studies scholars LGBT and Catholicism Cuban LGBT rights activists Liberation theologians Newsweek people Ordination of women and the Catholic Church People from Havana The Washington Post people Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Ursulines Women Christian theologians Women religious writers Women's ordination activists World Christianity scholars Catholic feminists American women academics Women civil rights activists