Oesterreicher Lecture Explores Jewish-Christian Relations More Than 50 Years After Nostra Aetate
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Celebrating the legacy of Monsignor John M. Oesterreicher
The Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies is pleased to invite students, faculty, staff, the priest community and the general public to attend the 30th Annual Monsignor John M. Oesterreicher Memorial Lecture, “In Our Time: Jewish-Christian Relations in the More than Half-Century since Nostra Aetate,” on Sunday, November 12, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in the Chancellor’s Suite of the University Center. The keynote address will be delivered by Eugene J. Fisher, Ph.D., former secretary for Jewish-Catholic Relations for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Distinguished Professor of Theology at Saint Leo University Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, as part of the celebration of the Institute’s 70th anniversary year.
“The 70th anniversary of the Institute is an occasion to express gratitude for the work of Msgr. John Oesterreicher. This began in Vienna in 1934 and matured with the Church from the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) to the present,” said Rev. Lawrence E. Frizzell, S.T.L., S.S.L., D.Phil., Associate Professor of the Jewish-Christian Studies Graduate Program in the Department of Religion and Director of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies, a leading center of expertise committed to the mission of developing, encouraging and increasing the collaborative peace-building efforts of Jewish and Christian scholars, theologians, educators and students.
Father Frizzell joined the Seton Hall community in 1974 when he helped to design the curriculum for the Jewish-Christian Studies Graduate Program. This unique curriculum was the first of its kind in the world and continues to serve as a model for educating in ways to increase mutual understanding and harmony. In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Consultor to the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews in the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Pope Francis renewed his appointment in 2014. In addition to this work, Father Frizzell is also the moderator of The Kinship of Catholics & Jews, a WSOU 89.5 weekly radio program that promotes the shared values of Christians and Jews.
Looking back, Father Frizzell said, “In 1953 Seton Hall University was the only center of study focusing on Catholic-Jewish relations. As a result of the Council efforts to bring mutual understanding among Christians and between Christians and Jews have brought hope to many in modern society. May this work continue to flourish!”
Professor Eugene J. Fisher
About the Speaker
Professor Fisher has worked tirelessly for the reconciliation between Catholics and Jews. Ahead of his time, he affected change, directing Catholic-Jewish relations for the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops beginning in 1977 and as author of numerous works in the field. He has been a Consultor to the Holy See and a member of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee. He is an active member of learned and professional societies, such as the Catholic Biblical Association, the National Association of Professors of Hebrew, and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). He has lectured widely throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Australia. He has published over twenty-five books and monographs, and some 300 articles in major religious journals, many of which have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and German for publication in Latin America and Europe. See: “Nostra Aetate: A Personal Reflection,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies (Fall 2015, Vol 50, no 4) pages 529-538, and A Life in Dialogue, Building Bridges between Catholics and Jews: A Memoir, St. Petersburg, FL: Mr. Media Books, 2017.
About the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies
The Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies (IJCS) promotes peacebuilding among people of all faiths through educational programs and interreligious exchanges and public forums. Founded in 1953 at Seton Hall University by Monsignor John M. Oesterreicher, IJCS developed the Master of Arts in Jewish-Christian Studies in 1975. Along with local students, people from 27 countries across five continents have joined us helping to unite and empower a new, globally diverse generation of scholars, theologians and educators who are dedicated to exploring and promoting their shared values, practices, traditions and peaceful pursuits.
