Jennifer Owens-Jofré

Jennifer Owens-Jofré, PhD, serves as an Assistant Professor in the Theological Studies Department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Her dissertation, based on her fieldwork with lay Latina women leaders at Dolores Mission Parish, is in revision. Dr. Owens-Jofré is a Catholic theologian and lay ecclesial minister whose academic writing has appeared in the International Journal of Practical Theology, Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology, Perspectivas, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, and the Anglican Theological Review. She co-edited From the Pews in the Back: Young Women and Catholicism (Liturgical Press, 2009) with Kate Dugan, and more of her popular pieces can be found at Commonweal, the Political Theology Network, and America. An alumnus of the Graduate Theological Union, Harvard Divinity School, and Loyola Marymount University, Dr. Owens-Jofré has been awarded grants in support of her teaching from the Louisville Institute and her research from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, the Forum for Theological Exploration, and the Hispanic Theological Initiative. Her current research focuses on the voices of Latina women as a theological source, the implications of grounded theory for mujerista theology, how mujerista theology can inform practical theological method, and theologies of accompaniment. Drawing on ministry experience in Catholic communities across the United States, she also teaches in parish settings and offers professional development workshops for those in ministry, especially for those who would like to develop cultural competency skills for Hispanic ministry, work with young adults, or integrate more deeply their faith and their commitments to anti-racism.