Nancy Pineda-Madrid, T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University, will take office as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America on June 16 in Baltimore, marking a significant milestone in her distinguished career. Pineda-Madrid succeeds Kristin Heyer, professor of theology at Boston College, and is the second Latina to be president-elect and president of CTSA since the society’s founding in 1946.
For Pineda-Madrid, this appointment is a “privilege beyond measure.” She attributes her growth as a theologian primarily to her CTSA colleagues. “CTSA members have shaped and mentored my thinking over the years, and I owe much of what I have achieved in the field of theology to my many CTSA colleagues,” she said.
CTSA, the world’s largest academic society of Catholic theologians with more than 1,100 members, was primarily comprised of priests. Today, it strives to be welcoming of diversity in all its forms. To become a member, one must have a doctorate in theology or a related discipline.
Pineda-Madrid is a feminist theologian who researches the Latinax faith experience and the possibilities that Catholic theology offers in response to the world’s injustices. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and raised in El Paso, Texas, Pineda-Madrid’s Mexican ancestry on both sides of her family, as well as her experiences working as a pastoral minister in Palomas, Chihuahua, Mexico, have significantly influenced her work.
“I am committed not only to taking women’s experiences seriously, but also to making women’s flourishing and fullness of life a measure of my theological work,” said Pineda-Madrid. “One of the greatest affronts to the fullness of women’s lives is arguably the horrific violence known as feminicide, the systematic killing of women because they are women.”
Pineda-Madrid is recognized as the first theologian to publish a book on the evil of feminicide, “Suffering and Salvation in Ciudad Juárez,” arguing for a fresh theological interpretation of salvation where women’s lives matter. In her second book, “Theologizing in an Insurgent Key: Violence, Women, Salvation,” she dives deeper into the subject, shining a spotlight on feminicide in nine Latin American countries. Her current book project employs a feminist lens to offer a theological interpretation of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
As president-elect of the CTSA, Pineda-Madrid selected “Social Salvation” as the theme of this year’s convention in Baltimore. “Salvation is commonly understood in exclusively individualistic terms, which distorts its meaning in Catholic theology,” said Pineda-Madrid. “Social salvation both critiques this distortion and calls to account all forms of violence escalating in our world today.” She has invited some of CTSA’s most notable theologians to offer plenary lectures on this topic. One of whom is Susan Abraham, a former faculty member and Chair of the LMU Theological Studies Department. The current Department Chair, Tracy Tiemeier, will be a respondent to Susan Abraham’s plenary.
After the convention in June, her focus as president will shift toward overseeing and guiding the society’s work, including various initiatives addressing contemporary issues in Catholic theology. These include institutional cutbacks affecting theology and humanities education in Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S.; Pope Francis’ call for synodality and integrating listening, conversations, and discernment into our faith; expanding participation of theologians from around the world in CTSA; and preparing for CTSA’s 100th anniversary in 2046 by envisioning its future identity.
Pineda-Madrid joined CTSA in 1999 as an associate member while earning her Ph.D. in systematic theology at the Graduate Theological Union, and she transitioned to a full member in 2005. Over the years, she has been active on various CTSA committees, with notable contributions including organizing a 2005 selected session titled “Resurrection of the Body in Feminist Theology,” where renowned theologians Rosemary Radford Ruether and Elizabeth Johnson presented their work on resurrection.
In 2015, she joined a steering committee that for three years studied theology’s response to human trafficking and modern-day slavery. From 2007-10, she gained a deeper understanding of the society as a member of its board of directors. This experience led to her role as CTSA’s representative to the International Network of Societies of Catholic Theology from 2013-17. As vice president of the network, she developed relationships with theologians worldwide, expanding her theological imagination.
Her contributions were recognized in 2018 when she received CTSA’s Ann O’Hara Graff Memorial Award, honoring her feminist scholarship and liberating action on behalf of women in the church and the broader community.
Pineda-Madrid, a proud Class of 1983 LMU alum, will bring valuable insights to CTSA and our university as she takes on this new leadership role.
