Co-authored by Dr. Kate Kingsbury* and Dr. Andrew Chesnut In a country with the world’s second largest Black population, it’s no surprise that many of the most popular religious figures in Brazil are conceived of as African or derived from Africa. For example, the Orixás or gods the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé are of Yoruban lineage presided over by Yemanja, the goddess of the sea. Likewise, one of the three major types of spirit guides in the less Afrocentric religion... Read more
By Guest Contributor Dr. Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada* Nola, a small town outside of Naples in the Campania region of Southern Italy, and Williamsburg, the premiere trendiest neighborhood in New York, are approximately 4,394 miles apart. Nola with its stone streets and ancient grit, is in the shadow of Vesuvius, while Williamsburg is ultra-gentrified and punctuated by high-rise glass condominiums and the shells of old Brooklyn factories. Still, both are central to Italian-American Catholic practice in Brooklyn. What these places share is... Read more
By guest contributor *Dr. Ana Keila Mosca Pinezi The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus or IURD) is a complex that involves a media empire not only aimed at propagating its religious and moral precepts and proselytizing, but also expressing the extraordinary growth of the Evangelicals in Brazil, especially that of neo-Pentecostalism, which has Prosperity and Health Theology at its heart. The neo-Pentecostal Evangelicals are a clear threat both to traditional and to... Read more
Co-authored by Dr. Kate Kingsbury* and Dr. Andrew Chesnut As of the past few decades, it is clear that Catholic clergy are witnessing a mushrooming demand for exorcisms. An astonishing number of people undergo deliverance from demonic forces every week, not only in the developing world but also in Britain and the United States. Pope Francis, who regularly speaks about the Devil, has told priests that they “should not hesitate” to call on exorcists if they hear confessions or see... Read more
By guest contributor Judika Illes* Where do you go if your legal papers are taking forever to process? What if your international flight is already booked but now your passport renewal is delayed? Where do you turn? For many, that’s a no-brainer – turn to Saint Expedite. Saints are frequently specialists – invoke Saint Lucy for eye ailments, for instance, or Saint Barbara for protection from natural disasters. Saint Expedite’s specialty is cutting through red tape and ending delays. As... Read more
By Kate Kingsbury The Mexican State’s relationship with the region of Oaxaca, is tenuous, unlike the Catholic Church whose rapport with locals has long had importance in the region despite its troubling history. Yet Indigenous Oaxacans, far from following the Church’s edicts rigorously, continue to adapt and adopt Catholicism in their own unique ways, in forms that speak to their pre-Hispanic past but also reflect the present difficulties they face in the post-colony. Santa Muerte is a sui generis sacred... Read more
Folklore Thursday is one of my favorite twitter accounts, which true to its name curates tweets on folklore-related topics. Last Thursday’s theme was saints and miracles, so as an unabashed hagiophile I have collected the top tweets on Catholic saints…. Bone and Sickle @boneandsickle Mar 14 “Cephalophores” (head-carriers) are a class of saints said to walk about after martyrdom by decapitation. France has St. Denis, UK St. Edmund (whose bodiless head was guarded by wolves). Hear more starting with John the... Read more
Co-autoria por la Dra. Kate Kingsbury* y el Dr. Andrew Chesnut. Traducido del ingles por la Dra. Fabiola Chesnut, Jefa del Departamento de Artes Finas en Huguenot High School en Richmond, Virginia. Solo apareció hace dos años, pero la iglesia católica en México ya está condenando al santo popular más nuevo de México por ser peor que la Santa Muerte. El Santo Niño Huachicolero apareció de la nada en las redes sociales en 2016 y ha causado tal consternación que tanto... Read more
Co-authored by Dr. Kate Kingsbury* and Dr. Andrew Chesnut He only appeared two years ago but Mexico’s newest folk saint is already being condemned by the Catholic Church in Mexico as worse than Santa Muerte. The Holy Child of Huachicolero (Santo Niño Huachicolero) appeared out of nowhere on social media in 2016 and has caused such consternation that both the Archbishop of Puebla and more recently, the Archdiocese of Mexico have rebuked the surreal folk saint as worse than Santa... Read more
By Guest Columnist Ezer R. May May* and translated from the original Spanish by Dr. Andrew Chesnut Currents of spirituality and religion have always coursed through the Latin American body politic. And now the dynamics of religious identity are having a major impact in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Brazil, and Mexico. We saw Jair Bolsonaro win the presidential elections in Brazil with strong support from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD) as well as the coalition... Read more
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