Faustino M. Cruz, SM

  • Academic Dean and Executive Vice President
  • Associate Professor of Theology and Education

Degrees

  • Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Doctorate In Theology and Education (Boston College, 2001)
  • M.A. Theology/Scripture (Graduate Theological Union, 1988)
  • M.Div. (Franciscan School of Theology, 1986)
  • B.S. Travel and Tourism Management (University of the Philippines, 1982)

"My contribution to practical theology is rooted in my identity and experience as a Filipino immigrant. In educating women and men toward ministry for a multicultural church and society, I recognize the daily struggle and survival of persons who cross U.S. borders or land on our shores as my primary theological locus."

 

Tito Cruz migrated from the Philippines to join the Society of Mary (Marists) in 1982 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1988. He has ministered with migrants and refugees for over twenty years at parish, diocesan, and national levels as catechetical consultant, educator, community organizer, and pastor in the United States, Latin America, and the Philippines. He has served the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as Coordinator of Ethnic Ministries and a member of the Commission on Certification and Accreditation.

 

He was a member of the research team for the Duke University Pulpit and Pew Project on Asian and Pacific Ministerial Leadership. He co-authored with Diane Bergant, Kathleen Dorsery-Bellow, Maureen O’Brien, and Bernard Lee Theological Reflection for Transformation, which was published by the Center for the Study of Religious Life and the Catholic Theological Union (2004). He served on the Editorial Board of PREACH. Currently he is working on a book project about Filipino American Catholics, which will be published in a series edited by Peter Phan for Paulist Press.

 

Committed to promoting effective leadership in theological education, Tito has been on the faculty of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion. He has participated in designing and implementing initiatives such as the GTU Asia Project-Partnerships for Transforming Theological Education in Asia, Oceania, and North America, as well as the USCCB Asian Pacific Pastoral Institute for Mission and Ministry. He has also completed a management development program for Chief Academic Officers at the Harvard School of Education.

 

In 2005, Tito represented the GTU at a gathering of Asian theologians at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. He also participated in a consultation on theological education at Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which was sponsored by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.

 

He has written articles for and lectured at the East Asian Pastoral Institute/Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, the University of Muenster in Germany, and Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. His teaching and research interests include: Asian and Asian North American contextual theologies, congregational studies, Latino ministry, immigration history, ethnic studies, and intercultural education.

 

Professional Affiliations

  • International Academy of Practical Theology
  • Catholic Theological Society of America
  • Religious Education Association: Association of Professors, Practitioners, and Researchers in Religious Education
  • Filipino American National Historical Society

Selected Course Descriptions

Educating for a Multicultural Church and Society

This foundational course in practical theology explores the theological and educational elements of an intercultural, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approach to Christian religious education and ministry with new immigrants in the United States. Topics include immigration history, identities and affiliations, ethnic and race relations, intercultural communication, educating diverse learners, contextual theologies, and so forth.

 

Multicultural Parish

This is a foundational course in practical theology, particularly in the art and practice of studying congregations. It explores the theological, liturgical, organizational, and educational components that support congregational life in multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual U.S. Catholic parishes, as well as in some mainline Protestant traditions.

 

Filipino U.S. Immigrant Theology and Ministry

Filipinos are one of the fastest growing new immigrant communities in the United States. This course explores their social, political, educational, cultural, and religious narratives toward an intercultural practical theology from a Roman Catholic immigrant perspective.

 

Ministry Seminars

This series of four ministry seminars draws upon an interdisciplinary conceptual framework. It offers some of the foundational concepts and skills required for effective ministry that is contextual, collaborative, and intercultural. It seeks to engage students in theological reflection, dialogical conversations, spiritual formation, and supervised field education experiences that would enable them to weave together theological, ministerial, and educational insights and understandings.

 

Selected Publications

  • "Locating Multiple Identities and Belonging in Relatedness: Toward Intercultural Leadership." In C(H)AOS Theory: Handbook of Chief Academic Officers, eds. Bruce Birch and Kadi Bilman. Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing House, forthcoming).
  • "Religion, Ethnicity, and Immigration in the United States: Engaging Critically with the U. S. Catholic Church's Pastoral Response " Journal of Sophia Asian Studies 26. Institute of Asian Cultures, Sophia University Tokyo, Japan (2008).
  • "Immigrant Faith Communities as Interpreters: Educating for Participatory Action." New Theology Review 21:4 (November 2008), 27-37.
  • "Ministry for a Multicultural Church and Society." Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry vol. 27 (2007), 43-60.
  • "Seelsorgerischer Dienst fűr eine multikulturelle Kirche und Gesellschaft." Nachgefragt 07 Katholische Studierenden- und Hochschulgemeinde; Műnster, Germany (Herbst 2007), 23-37.
  • "To Live Church More Authentically: Ministry with Asian and Pacific Catholics in the United States." Pastoral Music 27:4 (April-May 2003); in consultation with Ella Rosanna.
  • Bergant, Dianne CSA, Faustino M. Cruz, SM, Kathleen Dorsey-Bellow, Bernard Lee, SM, and Maureen O'Brien. Theological Reflection for Transformation. (Chicago: Center for the Study of Religious Life, 2004).

Article

“Ministry for a Multicultural Church and Society.” Reflective Practice, Formation and Supervision in Ministry (Volume 27, 2007) PDF