The Call of God: Women Doing Theology in Peru

Preface

Preface In 1997 I arrived in Peru on an all-night flight from California. By six o’clock that morning, I was at one of the Jesuit residences in Lima, tired, trying to think in Spanish, and ready for some sleep. My Peruvian friend, Lucho Herrera, S.J., introduced me to a woman who was in the lobby of the residence. Her name was Ofelia Montes López and he said, “You must get to know her. She can teach you a lot.” Little did I know how true his words were. Sra. Montes López is the director of Servicios Educativos El Agustino (Educational Services El Agustino or SEA). SEA is the social outreach organization of the Jesuit parish in El Agustino, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Lima. As I grew to know Sra. Montes López and the women with whom she works at SEA, not only did I learn a great deal but I also found myself challenged, inspired, and lifted up by their faith, love, and dedication. This book is about these women and the theology that emerges from their work and faith. It does not fall into any precise theological category —systematics, foundational, historical, or theological ethics—but is primarily a consideration of their volatile environment and the way in which they respond to it. I have focused on the women of El Agustino because I am interested in what women are doing theologically in the country that was the birthplace of liberation theology. Almost half of the population of Peru has moved from the countryside to the cities in the past three decades. Thus, the women of SEA are a fair representation of the cultures, languages, and religious traditions found throughout Peru. Of course the poverty the people were fleeing has only grown worse and liberation can appear to be more removed than it was thirty years ago. An inspiration for this book comes from the Documents of the Thirtyfourth General Congregation of the Society of Jesus’ Decree 14, “Jesuits and the Situation of Women in Church and Civil Society.” The decree vii invites “all Jesuits to listen carefully and courageously to the experience of women. . . . There is no substitute for such listening. More than anything else it will bring about change.”The document goes on to state that unless we listen, any action we may take in this area, no matter how well intentioned, is likely to bypass the real concerns of women and to confirm male condescension and reinforce male dominance. Listening, in a spirit of partnership and equality, is the most practical response we can make and is the foundation for our mutual partnership to reform unjust structures. The “call of God” is a phrase I heard repeatedly from the women of SEA. Much of what they do finds its origins in answering this call. What is meant, however, by “doing theology”? My starting point is the classical definition of theology as “faith seeking understanding.” The faith of the women of El Agustino is obvious at first encounter. As one grows to know these women, it is also obvious that they think in ways that are rooted in the struggles and successes of their work with the poor. They may not use the terminology of trained theologians but they produce inspiring, action-provoking, Gospel-rooted results. They are experts at interpreting and responding to the signs of the times. I worked with the women of El Agustino for one year and conducted numerous formal interviews and carried on innumerable informal conversations . As a white North American male and Jesuit priest, I tried to be sensitive to many dynamics: the propriety of relations between men and women in Peruvian society; what was and was not considered an appropriate question from a man; careful consideration of what was said and what was left unsaid; interaction with a priest in a highly clerical, culturally Catholic country; and being white in an environment where those of European ancestry have oppressed the poor for centuries. Chapters 1–2 introduce the setting and context of Peru, Lima, and El Agustino, and the social, political, and church environments. Understanding the women of El Agustino requires an awareness of what they bring from the past and what they face in the present. Chapter 3 looks more personally at them: What is the foundation for their work? How do they sustain hope for themselves and become bearers of hope for others? How do they explore the mystery of God...