Living Devotions (Paperback)

Paperback. Living Devotions explores how a particular community has creatively negotiated its religious bonds of connection in the context of immigration. These matters cannot be studied in the abstract. Religious practice is not something separate from the economic, cultural, and psychological dimensions of life, but rather something integral, which shapes and is being shaped by all of these other realities. The author examines these dynamics through an ethnographic case study of the living devotions of a group of Italian Catholic immigrants to San Pedro, California. The narrative describes how the group's historical experiences of immigration and fishing find expression in their particular forms of prayer, art, artifacts, and food. The healing and transformative power of these shared religious practices is explored. As contemporary theologians, pastors, and congregations seek to welcome and care for immigrants and other strangers in a shifting social landscape, we need ways to engage in care-full and attentive relationships. The ethnographic method employed here suggests a way to lift up the voices of ordinary people, allowing them to tell their own stories, while piecing together emerging bits of theological wisdom and compelling care practices. While the particular insights of any community are situated and specific, theological reflection in one context can animate a broader discussion of transformative pastoral theology and practice. Description: Living Devotions explores how a particular community has creatively negotiated its religious bonds of connection in the context of immigration. These matters cannot be studied in the abstract. Religious practice is not something separate from the economic, cultural, and psychological dimensions of life, but rather something integral, which shapes and is being shaped by all of these other realities. The author examines these dynamics through an ethnographic case study of the living devotions of a group of Italian Catholic immigrants to San Pedro, California. The narrative describes how the group's historical experiences of immigration and fishing find expression in their particular forms of prayer, art, artifacts, and food. The healing and transformative power of these shared religious practices is explored. As contemporary theologians, pastors, and congregations seek to welcome and care for immigrants and other strangers in a shifting social landscape, we need ways to engage in care-full and attentive relationships. The ethnographic method employed here suggests a way to lift up the voices of ordinary people, allowing them to tell their own stories, while piecing together emerging bits of theological wisdom and compelling care practices. While the particular insights of any community are situated and specific, theological reflection in one context can animate a broader discussion of transformative pastoral theology and practice. Endorsements: ""Living Devotions describes a Catholic community in San Pedro, California, in which a visual and material piety infuses the activities of daily life. In this community, the sacred and the mundane—praying and partying, catching fish and feeding others—are easily integrated. In this engaging book, Moschella considers critical questions and explores theological and psychological conceptual frameworks that assist understanding without allowing theory to overpower the voices of the people who told her about their 'sacramental way of life.' Living Devotions is a moving account of the beliefs, values, and practices that inform and support their vibrant faith."" —Margaret R. Miles, Professor of Historical Theology, Emerita, Graduate Theological Union ""This is simply a wonderful book. Beautifully written, captivating in its detail, wise in its analysis, pastoral in its sensitivity, Living Devotions offers an illumi Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…