Care for Our Common Home

Ecological Spirituality from the Ancestral Testimonies of the Nahua People with Ignacio Torres Ramírez

Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Student Center 130
Presentation will be in Spanish with English translation

Ancestral Testimonies of the Nahua People:

I will share with you some of the Nahua cosmovision within a pre-Hispanic historical context as well as one of conquest.  We will travel to the past, long before the arrival of the Aztecs and the Spanish conquest to introduce you to the deep cosmology of our ancestors. We will journey through an historical path covering the arrival of the Aztecs, the Spanish conquest and indigenous, black, and popular resistance. Over the course of our journey I will present the powerful traditions, uses and customs such as ceremonies of the earth and the communal planting of the three sisters (corn, bean and squash) as a sacred practice of our cosmovision.

About Ignacio Torres Ramírez:

I am proud to be one of the original peoples of the indigenous community of Amatlán de Quetzalcoatl, in the Municipality of Tepoztlán in the State of Morelos. It has deep ancestral roots from which I receive my traditional name Nahui Cuauhtli, meaning Four Eagle. Amongst the original peoples we keep traditions and customs based on our land, our spirituality and our cosmovision. One example being the Communal Council naming the guardian of the sacred conch, for the use of general ceremonies. In 1992, I had the great honor of being named guardian of the community’s conch. As in many indigenous communities, Amatlán is one of the spaces that we practice curandería and many of our families come from this carefully preserved lineage to care for the community’s  physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. For 2000 years my family has come from this line of healing.

I graduated from the Metropolitan Autonomous University in CDMX as a veterinarian doctor. My interest is the health of animals but also the health of the owners of the animals. This led me to graduate from the Centro de Desarrollo Humano hacía la Comunidad-Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (CEDHEC-UAEM) (Centre for Human Development for the Community) as a Corporal Therapist offering massage, chiropractic and traditional herbal medicine. I continue my training for a diploma in acupuncture and in this way I am able to serve the health of animals and humans.

Turning the Tide for Ecology - 2023 Catholic Earth Day Summit

Saturday, April 22, 2023
Student Center

Join the Creation Care Network for its annual environmental justice summit! The day will provide space to ground our collective work spiritually, discern how the Spirit is calling us to build reciprocity with the Earth, and act together for climate justice! The day will include:
• Mass with Archbishop Paul D. Etienne
• Keynotes on integral ecology and salmon recovery
• Discernment on how the Spirit is calling us to care for our common home
• Panel on climate action
• Group reflections on environmental justice
• And more! This free in-person event is open to all and includes a vegetarian lunch & parking.

Hosted by: Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, and Creation Care Network Sponsored by: Archdiocese of Seattle, St. James Cathedral Seattle, St. Joseph Parish, Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, Catholic Climate Covenant, and Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center

• Watch the following sessions videos here:
  • An Alaska State of Mind: The Salmon Way
  • King of Fish: The Thousand Year Fall of Salmon
  • Taking Collective Action on the Lower Snake River and Around the World

Decolonizing Religious Landscapes for a Pluriversal Church

Friday, October 28, 2022
Casey 515
An event for faculty and staff

Across the Abya Yala continent, indigenous people, many Christians themselves, are decolonizing the religious landscape, placing their epistemologies and philosophical/spiritual principles at the theological table. In this presentation, I suggest that the first step to incarnate Francis's cultural dream of intercultural encounters among cultures, is to pause, and make sure that we truly comprehend indigenous complex philosophical systems. Then, through an inter-religious, intercultural hermeneutics, place in dialogue indigenous philosophical/spiritual systems and the foundational theological and metaphysical assumptions that sustains Christian dogmas. The result could be a richer pluricultural Church.