School/Institution:
The University of Notre Dame.
Areas of Interest/Research:
Womanist theology, theological anthropology, Mariology, ritual studies, and theologies of grace/sacramental theology.
What is it about your field that you love researching?
I love researching the ways in which marginalized and oppressed communities have utilized throughout their histories methods of resistance and healing for the many individual and collective traumas they have experienced. I am always fascinated and moved when I learn how religion and spirituality have been shaped and revised not only to answer existential questions about life and being-in-the-world, but how it has aided in fostering resilience to face unspeakable tragedy/loss.
The stories, rituals, traditions, and practices of many groups encourage me to be alert to the ways in which the divine is at work in every aspect of human life. In my field, we call that interplay between God’s presence in all things in our world ‘grace’, and it is perhaps the most beautiful mystery in all of theology.
What is one “big idea” in your scholarship?
Something that is unique about my research is that it focuses on a relatively unknown and often marginal area of theology/religious studies: Black (African American) Catholicism.
What is your current research about?
My current research explores the impact of racism and trauma on Black bodies and bodies more generally. I am interested in how embodied devotional/ritual practices contribute to the restoration of visibility of marginalized persons experiencing external and internal oppression(s), along with how grace operates in the lives of oppressed persons and manifests itself as acts of ritualized voicing that bring about healing and hope.
I’m exploring this through Mary’s biblical representation as a prophetic witness for herself and the larger community, through acts of Christian proclamation and resistance, as well as her presence in the devotional lives of Black Catholics. I’m also utilizing the work of systematic theologian Delores Williams and what she calls “wilderness/survival theology,” which explores the movements of the divine in the “wilderness,” that is, in “near-destruction situation[s] in which God gives personal direction to the believer and thereby helps [them] make a way out of what [they] thought was no way.”
Who is one of your academic heroes and why do you admire them?
One of my academic heroes is Black Catholic womanist theologian Diana L. Hayes. Dr. Hayes was the first person to ever make me believe that I had what it takes to be a womanist scholar. Moreover, she encouraged me to pursue many of the theological interests I have today because she believed they would be a real contribution to the academy and larger Church. If it wasn’t for her Womanist Theology course in my MDiv program, I promise you I would not be where I am today. Her life and academic witness have been so inspirational to me.
What books have been formative for you in your study? Why were they so important? How did they shape you?
I think one of the most important books I’ve ever read which inspired me to begin studies in theology and planted the seeds to my eventual conversion to Roman Catholicism is Henri Nouwen’s Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life. This book opened my mind and heart to the idea that there is something called a “sacramental imagination” which understands the world as being imbued with the mystery of God’s presence. The idea that the world itself can be revelatory and that each of us are created for so much more (vocation) was powerful and healing.
Do you have any publications we can showcase?
I have some public scholarship available for showcasing:
“Black Catholics and The Millennial Gap” (webinar series)
“What Does It Mean To Be Black and Catholic? Reflecting on the Words of Thea Bowman 30 Years Later,” Aquinas Emory Thinks
“A Conversion of the Heart: One Woman’s Journey into the Catholic Faith,” Aquinas Emory Thinks
“Love is Not Possession: Lessons from Life’s Transitional Spaces,” Candler School of Theology blog
“Lessons in Depending on God,” Candler School of Theology blog
Where can we follow you online?
Twitter: @TheoBlerd_95
Facebook: LaRyssa Herrington
If we ran into you at SBL/AAR and you didn’t want to talk about your field what would you want to talk about?
I am a huge music and film buff and could talk about that for days! I also would be interested in chatting about videogames, outdoors activities, and travel more generally (places I’ve never been to but would like to visit, etc).
Other than your thesis, what research/writing project are you working on right now that you’re excited about?
In Fall 2022 I will be launching the podcast Black Catholics Amplified! for the National Black Catholic Congress.
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