Claudia H. Herrera-Montero: Co-Creation and the Mystery of God in Relationship With All That Is Created

An interview for the Spirituality and Sustainability Global Network

Claudia is a Catholic practical theologian and educator and served as a lay pastoral leader in Catholic higher education for nearly the past ten years of her life. She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia where she pursued her undergraduate studies in International Relations and Political Sciences at Universidad del Rosario. Claudia holds an M.A. in Pastoral Ministries and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. Her doctoral work with College-age Latinas in South Florida has expanded her research on participatory-action with Latinx communities in the classroom and ministerial settings, as she explores on their faith identity and social locations. She serves as the Secretary of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) and this Summer, she joined the board of the Spirituality, Sustainability Global Network. Claudia lives in South Florida with her husband and young daughter.

Maddie: What was your religious upbringing like? How have your personal faith and spirituality changed throughout your life? How has this impacted the work you do now?

Claudia: I grew up Catholic in Bogotá very closed to my abuelas (grandmothers). Their fierce and tender motherly figures created a significant impact on my life. I also attended all-girls Catholic school with the Piarists and Salesians sisters. My abuelas (grandmothers) and the Madres (Sisters) taught me about God through their love and care for their families and the poor. My faith, particularly a closer devotion to Jesus and La Virgencita (Mary), as well a passionate heart for service and justice was not an option or a component throughout my life. It is inherent to who I am and to the social context where I come from…

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