Global Stage Podcast
About the Episode:

In this episode of Global Stage, Alma Tinoco Ruiz from Duke University and Laurel Marshall Potter from the University of St. Thomas talk about their own research as theologians. In conversation with Kellogg doctoral affiliate Matt Cortese, SJ, they discuss the reception of St. Óscar Romero in communities today, both in the US and in El Salvador. This podcast is the third in a special series based on the Romero conference that took place at the Kellogg Institute in the spring of 2025.

 

Show Notes:

Welcome to Global Stage, a podcast produced by the Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame. In today's episode, Alma Tinoco Ruiz from Duke University and Laurel Marshall Potter from the University of St. Thomas talk with the host Matt Cortese, SJ, a Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate and a Jesuit priest, about their research as theologians and the influence of St. Óscar Romero.

Tinoco Ruiz, originally from Mexico, describes her work with undocumented immigrants facing constant trauma and how discovering Romero’s approach in El Salvador transformed her ministry – teaching her to acknowledge suffering, validate pain, and foster communal lament and healing.

Marshall Potter shares how her Spanish teacher and study abroad experiences led her to discover Romero through his followers in El Salvador. Romero’s example provided her with a sense of belonging in the church and highlighted the importance of hope and remembering martyrs.

The conversation explores themes of preaching as empathetic witness, the difference between healing and curing, and the lasting influence of Romero’s open, prophetic, and context-sensitive ministry. Both guests reflect on the hope and wisdom gained from communities shaped by struggle and liberation. The episode ends on a light note with a mention of Salvadoran pupusas.

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