A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body Of Christ
Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C. reframes migration through a Eucharistic narrative, rather than the usual political, social, and cultural narratives, aligning the outer journey of migrants, the inner journey of faith, and the divine journey of Christ into our world and back to God. He explores the Body of Christ as encountered inside a Church building in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and also as encountered outside of it in the least and last among us (Mt 25:31-46). In the context of the global migration and refugees crisis, it shows the ways the divine and human intermingle on our earthly pilgrimage, transforming us into the image and likeness of God, so that we become bread for the world through the works of mercy.
Experience the Event
Thursday, June 13, 2024 12:00 pm
In 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that the Church in this country would undertake a Eucharistic Revival, as a way to bolster Catholics’ belief in the real presence of Christ–body, blood, soul, and divinity–in the Eucharist. This Eucharistic Revival will culminate in a nationwide pilgrimage to the city of Indianapolis in July 2024. In the months leading up to this pilgrimage, the McGrath Institute for Church Life is contributing to this revival by underscoring the intrinsic connection between the Eucharist and Catholic social teaching.
Why are we concerned about the link between Eucharistic devotion among Catholics and our commitment to social justice? Because the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Eucharist commits us to the poor” (CCC, n. 1397). Because Pope Benedict XVI declared in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est that “A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented” (Deus Caritas Est, n.14. ). And because we have it on good authority that whenever we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, welcome the stranger, we encounter Christ, Who assures that whatever you have done to the least among you, you do for me (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). Thus our devotion to the Body of Christ in the Eucharist must be accompanied by our equally fervent devotion to serve the entire human family, especially the poor and those who are in any way oppressed.
This theme will be taken up by the Office of Life and Human Dignity at the McGrath Institute for Church Life in an eight-part series of The Eucharist and Catholic Social Teaching. In this session, Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C. reframes migration through a Eucharistic narrative, rather than the usual political, social, and cultural narratives, aligning the outer journey of migrants, the inner journey of faith, and the divine journey of Christ into our world and back to God. He explores the Body of Christ as encountered inside a Church building in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and also as encountered outside of it in the least and last among us (Mt 25:31-46). In the context of the global migration and refugees crisis, it shows the ways the divine and human intermingle on our earthly pilgrimage, transforming us into the image and likeness of God, so that we become bread for the world through the works of mercy.
Speakers:
Father Dan Groody, C.S.C. ’86 , professor of theology and global affairs, vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame
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MoreMeet the Faculty: Fr. Dan Groody, C.S.C. ’86
Father Dan Groody, C.S.C. ’86 , professor of theology and global affairs, is the vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education. His major responsibilities include advancing undergraduate teaching, research, and outreach, as well as overseeing Academic Services for Student-Athletes, the Center for University Advising, the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement, the Moreau First Year Experience course, the Transformational Leaders Program, and the work of the Core Curriculum Committee. He also provides leadership for the student accommodations process and chairs the Advisory Committee on the Academic Code and Policy, the University Committee on the Honor Code, and the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Selection Committee.
In addition to his role in the provost’s office, Father Groody serves as a Fellow and Trustee of the University and is the adviser for discernment and discovery for Notre Dame’s Inspired Leadership Initiative.
An internationally recognized expert on migration and refugee issues whose papers and books have been translated into seven languages, he 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. He has edited or co-edited four books on poverty, justice, and migration.
Father Groody’s expertise in and passion for refugee and migration issues has also been applied as executive producer of several acclaimed films and documentaries, including One Border, One Body: Immigration and the Eucharist , and Dying to Live: A Migrant’s Journey.
Father Groody has worked with the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, and the United Nations on issues of theology, globalization, migration, and refugees. In 2007–08, he was a visiting research fellow at Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Centre.
A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 2000, Father Groody is a faculty fellow of the University’s Kellogg Institute, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Institute for Educational Initiatives, Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights, Nanovic Institute for European Studies, and Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion.
Father Groody earned his bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame, a master of divinity degree and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology, and his doctorate in theology from the Graduate Theological Union.