CTH181 (Cavanaugh): Introduction to World Catholicism: Sample topics

Find books and articles in DePaul's LibrarySearch

Below are some of the sample topics provided by Dr. Cavanaugh.  Suggested keywords to use in your search are highlighted in bold.  Some suggested projects and topics are so current, you may need to start with a website instead of a library resource, see the links below.  Explore, discover, and be curious!

1. The work of Vincentian communities in the global South:

• The history of Vincentian missionaries in the Philippines.  See the digitized book in DePaul's institutional repository, Vincentians in the Philippines: 1862-1982 by Rolando S. Dela Goza, C.M. and Jesus Ma Cavanna, C.M.
• Fr. Pedro Opeka's work in Madagascar.
• The work of Fr. Danny Pilario (Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M.) among the people who live in the garbage dump of Payatas in Manila.
• The work of the Daughters of Charity on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Africa. Enter search terms to find out what articles about this work are in the Vincentian journals, Vincentiana and the Vincentian Heritage Journal, in DePaul's institutional repository. Learn about Project DREAM on the Daughters of Charity international projects website.
• See the "Friends of St. Vincent de Paul" project in Rwanda website to learn more about this project.

2. Reform of the Catholic Church in the global South:

• The Synod of Bishops of the Pan-Amazon region, 2019.
• The Vatican's Listening to the Existential Peripheries project, 2022.  See the "Doing Theology from the Existential Peripheries" project website.

3. The Catholic Church and poverty in the global South:

• The "preferential option for the poor" in Latin American liberation theology or in papal encyclicals.
• The work of the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness.  See the Library's research guide about Homelessness.

4.  Catholic environmentalism/sustainable development in the global South:

• Fr. Emmanuel Katongole's Bethany Land Institute in Uganda.  The library has several books written by Fr. Katongole that are about political theology and environmental justice in Africa but do not describe the Bethany Land Institute specifically.
• Catholic anti-mining activism in El Salvador or environmental activism El Salvador
• Sr. Dorothy Stang's environmental activism and murder in the Amazon
• Ecology and Latin American liberation theology
• The Laudato Si movement or Laudato Si generation in Asia or Africa
• Archbishop Oscar Romero and land reform in El Salvador

5.  Catholicism and resistance to violence in the global South:

• Nonviolent response to violence by a particular Catholic person, such as Maggy Barankitse, Josephine Kizza, or Paride Taban

• The role of Catholicism in a nonviolent social movement, such as the People Power movement in the Philippines [or People Power revolution Philippines], Solidarity in Poland [or solidarity movement and Poland and Catholicism], or the Sebastian Acevedo Movement in Chile 

• Nonviolence in the writings and speeches such as a prominent figure such as murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero, or Dom Helder Camara

• Catholic efforts to educate people in nonviolence, such as SERPAJ (Servicio Paz y Justicia/Service for Peace and Justice/Adolfo Pérez Esquivel) in Latin America, or the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative/Pax Christi International

• The role of the Catholic Church in pro-democracy movements in countries like South Korea

• The role of the Catholic Church in nonviolent resistance to oppression in countries like East Timor, (Timor-Leste), Chile, and El Salvador