Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández | Catholics on Call

Professor of Hispanic Theology and Ministry and Director of the Hispanic Theology and Ministry Program
M.A., D.Min., The Catholic University of America

Carmen Nanko-Fernández is a Latin@ theologian with extensive experience in teaching, ministry and administration. She is a past President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) and in 2012 received their Virgilio Elizondo Award for “distinguished achievement in theology.”

Her publications include the book Theologizing en Espanglish: Context, Community and Ministry (Orbis Books, 2010); several chapters in anthologies and numerous articles in theological and pastoral journals. Among the book chapters are: “Ordinary Theologies, Extraordinary Circumstances: Baseball at the Intersections of Faith and Popular Culture,” in Recovering 9/11 in New York, R. Fanuzzi & M. Wolfe, eds. (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2014); co-authored with Jean-Pierre Ruiz, “Dialogues in the Margins: The Biblia De Alba and the Future of Catholic-Jewish Understanding,” in Toward the Future: Essays on Catholic-Jewish Relations in Memory of Rabbi León Klenicki, C. Deutsch et al., eds. (Paulist Press, 2013); “Alternately Documented Theologies: Mapping Border, Exile and Diaspora,” in Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands, S. Azaransky, ed. (Lexington Books, 2013); “Creation: A Cosmo-politan Perspective” in In Our Own Voices: Latino/a Renditions of Theology, B. Valentin, ed. (Orbis, 2010); “¡Despierta Iglesia! Reconfiguring Theologies of Ministry Latinamente” in Ministries in the Church, (ConciliumSeries (2010/1), S. Ross et al., eds. (SCM, 2010); "From Pájaro to Paraclete: Retrieving the Spirit of God in the Company of Mary,” in Building Bridges, Doing Justice: Constructing a Latino/a Ecumenical Theology, O. Espín, ed. (Orbis 2009); “Language, Community and Identity,” in Handbook of Latina/o Theologies, E. Aponte & M. de la Torre, eds. (Chalice Press, 2006); “Justice Crosses the Border: The Preferential Option for the Poor in the United States, ” in A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology: Religion and Justice, M. Aquino et al., eds. (University of Texas Press, 2002) and in translation in Glaube an der Grenze, Die US-amerikanische Latino-Theologie,R. Fornet-Betancourt, ed. (Herder, 2002); “Ordinary Theologies, Extraordinary Circumstances: Baseball at the Intersections of Faith and Popular Culture,” in Recovering 9/11 in New York, Robert Fanuzzi and Michael Wolfe, editors. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2014, 68-87; "Lo Cotidiano as Locus Theologicus,” in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Latino/a Theology, Orlando O. Espín, editor. Oxford, England: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015.

Nanko-Fernández’s scholarship reflects an appreciation for contextual and postcolonial theologies and focuses on areas of Latin@ theologies, Catholic social teaching, interreligious, ecumenical and intercultural relations, im/migration and the intersections between faith and popular culture with particular attention to béisbol. She has presented in a variety of academic and pastoral venues including the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Her editorial work includes service on the boards of the Feasting on the Gospels book series (Westminster John Knox), the Journal of Hispanic / Latino Theology, Horizons and asa pastco-editor of the New Theology Review. Nanko-Fernández was the convener of the Latin@ section of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), co-chair of the Committee on Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups (CUERG) of the CTSA, co-chair of the Latino/a Religion, Culture, and Society section of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), longtime Treasurer of ACHTUS and a member of the leadership team for the Latina/o Faculty Colloquy sponsored by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion (2008-2009). In March 2011 she was featured in an interview "Spanglish Lessons: Diversity and Theology," in U.S. Catholic http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2011/02/spanglish-lessons-diversity-and-theology. She was editorial reviewer for Diálogo (DePaul University), a Latin@ theology submission (2012).

Currently Nanko-Fernández is researching and writing another book, ¡El Santo! Baseball and the Canonization of Roberto Clemente, which is under contract with the Sport and Religion series of Mercer University Press. With Gary Riebe-Estrella she is co-editor of the forthcoming Fortress Press book series Disruptive Cartographers: Remapping Theology Latinamente.