Robert Hernandez is a 1st year Ph.D. student in systematic theology. He also earned his M.T.S. and B.A. in theology from the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on Latin American ecclesial thought, particularly in the regions of el cono del sur (Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay), El Salvador, and the US/Mexican border region. Robert has conducted field work in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Peru engaging with the particular experiences of ecclesiality found in these regions. Last year he conducted research on the mystical-ecclesial thought of Oscar Romero with the Kellogg Institute’s Oscar Romero working group, presenting his findings at Kellogg’s 2025 Romero Days Conference.
Robert is currently most engaged with the ecclesial implications of the teología del pueblo movement from Argentina, a school which deeply influenced the thought of the late Pope Francis. Through this work, Robert has been bringing out the deeply mystical and communal elements of Latin American ecclesial thinking, a particular modality which he hopes could serve as something of a corrective to the deeply individualistic, post-Enlightenment ecclesial culture present in many elements of the institutional Church in Latin America and the United States. He is also very engaged with the thought of Vergilio Elizondo from the US border region, and hopes to establish connections between U.S. Latino/a/e theology and the teología del pueblo school. He is very excited to learn from the many excellent people at the Kellogg Institute.