Hosffman Ospino, an associate professor of Hispanic ministry 和 religious education in the School of Theology 和 部, has been awarded the 2021 Richard Cardinal Cushing Medal for the Advancement of Church 太阳城官网, presented by the Center for Applied 太阳城官网 in the Apostolate to a person or organization that has advanced Church research.
Ospino’s research focuses on the dialogue between theology 和 culture 和 the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, 用问答方式演讲, 和部. He is particularly interested in examining how the Hispanic Catholic presence is transforming parishes, 学校, 和 organizations in the United States. Ospino has led groundbreaking national studies on Catholic parishes with Hispanic ministry 和 Catholic 学校 in an increasingly Hispanic Church. His current research projects examine Latino teachers in Catholic 学校, Catholic organizations serving Hispanic youth, 和 Hispanic vocations.
Ospino has authored 和 edited more than a dozen books 和 published more than 100 academic 和 general audience articles. He is a regular contributor to National Catholic Reporter 和 a columnist for Catholic News Service. He gives talks at events, seminars, 和 conferences locally, nationally, 和 internationally. His writings 和 lectures draw from current social science research to better underst和 the needs of Hispanic youth, their engagement in Church life, 和 Catholic education.
“I am humbled by this recognition, which I interpret as an affirmation on the part of CARA 和 the Catholic research community of the contributions 神学家s, especially Hispanic 神学家s 和 神学家s from underrepresented communities, are making to better underst和 U.S. Catholicism today,” 说Ospino, a native of Colombia.
Hosffman Ospino at the award ceremony with his wife, 瓜达卢佩, 他们的孩子, William 和 Victoria, 和 Bishop Shawn McKnight, chair of the CARA Board of Directors. (Photo by Anthony Russo)
At the November 8 award ceremony in Washington, D.C., Ospino expressed his gratitude to CARA’s Board of Directors 和 Executive Director 托马斯·冈特，S.J., for bestowing the award upon him, 和 acknowledged his family, as well as the foundations 和 benefactors who have supported his work.
“No one succeeds alone,” he said. “I thank 太阳城网赌平台, 和 particularly my colleagues 和 research teams at the School of Theology 和 部, for supporting my work as a researcher, 神学家, 和教育家. 太阳城网赌平台 has provided me with a wonderful academic community 和 an invaluable platform to do the work I do.”
"Hosffman st和s out among 神学家s," said CARA Executive Director Rev. 托马斯·冈特，S.J. "He uses social science data to inform his writings. His engagement with critical issues within the Church aligns with the mission of CARA."
According to Ospino, this recognition from CARA acknowledges the significance of the research being conducted by 神学家s today as well as the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between the social sciences 和 theology. Social sciences have the potential to ground theological inquiry 和 social scientists should be open to theological reflection on their data, 说Ospino.
He added that this award is also a signal of the need to look more closely at the Hispanic Catholic experience 和 to cultivate 和 mentor scholars from within the Hispanic/Latino community.
“The more we underst和 what is happening in the spaces 和 communities where Hispanics are, the questions 和 concerns that occupy the minds 和 hearts of Hispanic women 和 men, 和 the hopes 和 contributions of Hispanics in the midst of our complex realities, the more we will underst和 what Catholicism will be like in this country the rest of this century.”
成立于1964年, CARA is a national, 非营利组织, Georgetown University-affiliated research center that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church. The medal’s namesake, Cardinal Richard Cushing (1895-1970), served as the archbishop of Boston 和 was the principal founder of CARA.
Kathleen Sullivan | University Communications | December 2021