One to Watch

Neomi DeAnda believes thinking is doing when it comes to theology

Neomi DeAnda, Ph.D., (B.A. ’97, M.A. ’99) spends a lot of time interacting with people from a wide range of faith traditions — a trend she is certain is only going to continue.

“It’s fascinating to me how our Church allows for all of these different perspectives and ways of being Catholic,” DeAnda said.

At the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, DeAnda works with students from around the world every day, directing both the Oscar Romero Scholars Program and the Hispanic Theology and Ministry Program. Many of her students don’t speak English; yet, they all share the idea of living in community and serving one another. From where she’s sitting, her diverse group of students embodies the different ways of being a church.

Women traditionally have been underrepresented theological academics, and there is still progress to be made in the realm of diversity, particularly when considering how few Latina Catholic theologians are working today. This past summer, however, the National Catholic Reporter recognized DeAnda and 11 others for being women under the age of 40 who are making a difference in the Catholic Church.

DeAnda was only one of two Latinas to make the list, and of those two, she was the only one with a terminal degree in theology; in the entire United States, she is one of fewer than 20.

DeAnda believes those numbers will only increase as more Latinas — and women in general — realize that theology is not something reserved for the professed. As she put it, “If you contemplate the spiritual or the divine, you are already ‘doing’ theology.”