Rev. Yuri Rodriguez Honors Latinas Through Music, Podcasts and Theology
With the support of a Constable Grant, Episcopal Evangelization Society, the Diocese of Indianapolis, Sewanee-School of Theology, Trinity Wallstreet Leadership Fellowship and several churches, the Rev. Yuri Rodriguez releases today an album, podcast, and a curriculum for theological reflection that celebrates the lives and stories of Latinas in the Episcopal Church and beyond.
The Rev. Yuri Rodriguez, a priest serving at St. Augustine's Chapel in the Diocese of Tennessee, and canonically resident in the Diocese of Indianapolis, is releasing today the album "Caminemos con Maria". This music production is one of a three-part project financed by the Constable Grant for theological education. Rev. Rodriguez and the Diocese of Indianapolis were awarded this grant in 2024. The project included also a podcast, and curriculum for theological reflection available in the project's website.
The album is a collection of songs from the Latin American Folk tradition, all with the name Maria. Each of the songs, tells the story of a woman who migrates, who faces challenges, and holds on to faith, hope, love and resilience in the face of life challenges, heart break, and loss. In between the songs, Rev. Yuri tells a bit of her own story as a Latina, and an immigrant. She explains that these songs represent the universal stories that many women share, such as heartbreak, loss, migration, love, maternity, stories shared by many women all over the world. In the podcast, we celebrate the lives and stories of women who are Episcopalian, or are involved, in one way or another, with the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. In the first six episodes, Rev. Yuri interviews women who have been part of the Ministerio Latino at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis. She interviews Latinas, but also, Latinas de corazón, and second generation Latinas, such as her own daughter, Mercedes. These stories represent the individual stories. The curriculum for theological reflection use the stories of immigrant women in the bible, women like Ruth, Hagar, Mary the mother of Jesus and more. These are the stories of our church. By bringing these three levels of storytelling into a theological curriculum, participants are given an opportunity to connect their own stories, and create a sense of belonging with God, with our faith, with our community, with the "other", and with ourselves.
"We are living in times that demand from us, who call ourselves "christians", that we see each other with human eyes, that we see each other as siblings in Christ, and challenge the false narratives that want us to believe that our immigrant brothers and sisters are undeserving of our kindness, our compassion, and even our admiration. Music and storytelling, are two powerful tools that can touch our hearts, and help us contemplate and eventually act according to the call of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our baptismal covenant, to strive, with God's help, for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being" expressed Rev. Rodriguez.
Caminemos con Maria is a project that was born in my heart as I was learning about Ada Maria Isasi Diaz and Mujerista Theology, and about the importance of reclaiming our innate right to tell our own stories, while in Seminary at Sewanee. I received a grant from Episcopal Evangelization Society, and with the support of Sewanee, St. Augustine's Chapel, All Saints Chapel and the Diocese of Indianapolis, we were able to bring a concert with the music to the communities in Sewanee, and Nashville, TN. Today, 4 years later, and with the support of the Constable Grant, Trinity Wallstreet Leadership Fellows, Christ Church Cathedral Indianapolis, and Church of the Nativity-Episcopal, this project is finally a reality.
Rev. Yuri is very proud to feature, in the album, a brand new community choir, Ecos del Cambio (echos of change). This is a new community choir made up of Latinas learning to sing with Rev. Yuri through a collaboration between Church of the Nativity, Episcopal in Indianapolis, and Mujeres Conectadas, a non-profit organization that provides wellness and health programing for Latinas in Indianapolis.
The album is available through the main digital music stores, through the website Caminemosconmaria.org, and through all main digital interactive streaming platforms such as spotify, YouTubeMusic, and more.
All the proceedings of the album sales will be equally distributed among two non-profit organizations that have partnered with Episcopal Churches in Indianapolis, Tu Refugio Seguro (a faith based shelter for victims of domestic violence serving Spanish speaking survivors) and Mujeres Conectadas.
If you are interested in being part of the online conversation groups with Rev. Yuri and Caminemos con Maria, please fill out an interest form here.
If you are interested in bringing Rev. Yuri and the Caminemos con Maria ensemble to your Diocese or your community, please fill follow this link and click on the link at the bottom where it says "Request availability for the music group." The musical arrangements are written to be implemented with choirs that are learning to sing, but also to add a level of difficulty for choirs that would like to explore a more demanding musical experience within the Latino tradition.
You can purchase the album here and in all major digital music platforms.
Watch the podcast here.
Rev. Yuri Rodriguez serves as Associate Chaplain for Multicultural Ministry and Leadership at St. Augustine's Episcopal Chapel, on the Campus of Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, TN. She is also member of the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music, and the editorial committee of new Spanish and Bilingual Song Book of the Office of Hispanic and Latino Ministries of the Episcopal Church. She volunteers with the Episcopal Women's History Project, and the Episcopal Women Ministry in the Diocese of Indianapolis. In Nashville, she volunteers with the Immigration Rights Task force of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope.
