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Dear Friends of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies:
According to a recent letter by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, interreligious dialogue is in crisis today: “Christians, Jews, and Muslims struggle to meet. Distrust has dug deep furrows, and many wonder whether it still makes sense to persist along this path.”
Indeed, the Cardinal warns that some are tempted to abandon dialogue altogether: “People are increasingly withdrawing into closed groups, into social enclaves where only like-minded people meet, those who speak the same language, who share the same fears. This trend is further reinforced by social media algorithms, which constantly feed users content that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, amplifying the echo of their own positions and widening gaps in mistrust, fear, and suspicion among groups.”
Scholars of Catholic-Jewish relations have expressed similar concerns, and say that tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war have undermined or even ruptured Catholic-Jewish relations.
In these difficult moments, we must not give in to despair or be tempted to abandon dialogue. Rather, we must recognize that dialogue remains essential, and that we cannot build a future alone: "Yet, precisely in these difficult times, dialogue is not the whim of a few, nor one option among many: it is a vital necessity. Our destinies are intertwined. We cannot build the future alone, nor imagine a coexistence that ignores the other."
Cardinal Pizzaballa also asks that we transition "from the dialogue of elites to the dialogue of life." He writes, "Meetings between specialists and official declarations are important, but not sufficient. Dialogue must penetrate our parishes, our neighborhoods, our daily relationships. We must learn to speak with others, not just about others; to truly listen to their story...."
To speak with another person instead of just talking about them requires respect and patience. It requires the challenging work of making time to listen to the story of the other. This is the sort of dialogue that we strive to cultivate in the work of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies (CCJS). We seek to build understanding between Catholics, Jews, and all people of good will--not only among scholars but also in daily relationships in the local parishes, synagogues, classrooms, and coffee shops.
This fall, we begin a new semester with new challenges. But we hold firmly to a tradition established by pioneers who came before us. This tradition calls us to respect and love those who may think or act differently than we do in religious or political matters (Gaudium et Spes, 28), and to study and dialogue (Nostra Aetate 4) with them in an ongoing relationship.
On September 10th, CCJS will host a dialogue between Saint Leo University students and Dr. Anna Moreland, of Villanova University, focused on how we can engage in practices that cultivate friendships and community instead of withdrawing and isolating ourselves in social media echo chambers.
On November 15, the CCJS invites you to join us at the Eternal Light Award Dinner, The Challenge and Promise of Catholic-Jewish Relations Today. The keynote speaker is the 22nd recipient of the CCJS Eternal Light Award, Fr. Dennis McManus, Professor of Dogmatics, St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, California, and Delegate for Jewish Affairs for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The program also includes comments from Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, NY, and Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s Director of Interreligious Affairs. We hope you can join us.
Finally, I want to remind those who could not attend the CCJS program, "Cultivating Conversations on the State of Israel," featuring Yossi Klein Halevi, Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, that a video of the event is available here.
We look forward to seeing you.
Respectfully,
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Matthew Tapie, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies,
Associate Professor of Theology
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The Young Adult Playbook: Living Like it Matters
Thursday, September 10, 6:00pm Eastern Time | In-person in the Student Community Center Boardrooms, Saint Leo University
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Join us for a campuswide event featuring Dr. Anna Moreland, Villanova University, will discuss three challenges confronting young adults today: loneliness, choice paralysis, and anxiety. She will also suggest strategies and practices that empower students to live more fully and faithfully. The message of her new book, The Young Adult Playbook (CUA Press, 2024) is based in a theology of work and rest that is rooted in the book of Genesis. The book provides students from all backgrounds with creative and practical ways to help them connect work, free time, and relationships to a life full of meaning, purpose, and friendship.
This program also includes a special dialogue between Dr. Moreland, Saint Leo students, and Dr. Benny Bar-Lavi, the Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought.
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Dr. Anna Bonita Moreland is a professor of Theology in the Department of Humanities at Villanova University, and the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Director of the University Honors Program. Dr. Moreland regularly teaches an introductory course in theology, courses on interreligious dialogue, especially between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Her research focuses on comparative theology between Christianity and Islam, drawing upon the work of Thomas Aquinas, including her recent book Muhammad Reconsidered: A Christian Perspective on Islamic Prophecy (University of Notre Dame Press, 2020). In 2021, Dr. Moreland was named co-principal investigator on a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The project, “Hope in Higher Education: Networking, Resource Sharing, and Building a Brighter Future,” is designed to help build a national coalition that will emphasize meaningful inquiry in college education and help students develop into thoughtful future leaders.
Students must register using the below QR code:
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If you are member of the community interested in attending please email
Ms. Laurie Gens at laurie.gens@saintleo.edu
This event is co-sponsored by the following Saint Leo University departments:
Department of Theology and Religion, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Student Success and Academic Engagement, University Athletics, and Residential Life
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Remaining Human in the Age of AI: An Interreligious Dialogue Group for Students
September 14
October 12
November 9
November 30
2:30 - 3:30pm Eastern Time
Benedict's Coffeehouse, Saint Leo University
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All Saint Leo students are invited to join CCJS faculty for an interreligious study and dialogue group this fall at Benedict's Coffeehouse at Saint Leo University.
The group will focus on the theme of AI. Are we allowing machines to do our thinking and diminish our capacity to love? How should human work be valued, and how should unemployment be addressed during a massive digital transition? What can Jewish and Christian sources teach us about these challenges? Join the dialogue as we study and discuss texts, including Pope Leo's encyclical, "Magnificent Humanity," that address how to remain human in the age of AI.
Interested students can email the CCJS Administrator of Programs and Events, Laurie Gens, at laurie.gens@saintleo.edu for more information or register on the Lounge App. Students in the Saint Leo Honors Program who attend CCJS events will receive Honors event credit for the semester.
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Francis After Nostra Aetate: Legacy, Tradition, and Jewish-Christian Relations
Tuesday, October 13, 7 - 8:15 pm Eastern Time | Zoom Webinar
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Image: A medieval manuscript dictated by St. Francis himself. From the Sacred Convent of St. Francis Assisi.
The year 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. The anniversary of Saint Francis offers an occasion to examine what it means to invoke Francis’ legacy for Jewish-Christian relations today. Dr. Kevin Hughes, Chair of Theology & Religious Studies and Professor of Historical Theology will analyze what Francis understood himself to be doing in his encounters with religious others, how the tradition he generated became notorious for its violent anti-Judaism, how Francis came to be promoted as a model of religious toleration, and whether his approach to religious difference can be responsibly retrieved in light of Nostra Aetate and subsequent magisterial teachings. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session.
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Dr. Kevin L. Hughes is Professor of Historical Theology, appointed in both the Humanities and Theology departments. Teaching at Villanova since 1997, he was a founding member of the Humanities department, and he regularly teaches in both Humanities and Theology at the undergraduate and graduate level. He received his Ph.D. from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on history, theology and culture from Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages to the early modern period, and he is a frequent commentator on Catholicism and contemporary culture.
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Reflections on the Challenge and Promise of Catholic-Jewish Relations Today
Sunday, November 15, 2026 | 5:15 - 8:00 pm
Higgins Hall at St. Lawrence Catholic Church
5225 N. Himes Ave. Tampa, FL 33614
Join us for an evening of reflection on the challenge and promise of Catholic-Jewish relations today. We will recognize positive developments in Catholic-Jewish dialogue and consider the challenges in the work ahead.
featuring
Reverend Dr. Dennis McManus
22nd recipient of the CCJS Eternal Light Award and
Professor of Dogmatics, St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, California
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Dr. Shira Billet
Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and academic director of
JTS's Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice, New York, NY
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Rabbi Noam Marans
Director of Interreligious Affairs,
American Jewish Committee
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Location:
Higgins Hall at St. Lawrence Catholic Church
5225 N Himes Ave. Tampa, FL 33614
Dinner Co-Chairs:
Jeffrey Berger
Immediate Past Co-President of the Tampa JCCs and Federation
Fr. Curtis Carro
Director of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg Office of Ecumenical
and Interreligious Affairs and Pastor of St. Raphael Catholic Church
Honorary Co-Chairs:
Bishop Gregory Parkes
Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg
Drs. Paula and Carl Zielonka
The event will open with a special welcome from
Dr. Jim Burkee, the 12th president of Saint Leo University.
This in-person event is open to the public but space is limited.
The Eternal Light Award is presented to a scholar who has made contributions to Catholic-Jewish studies. A list of previous recipients can be found here.
Your support at the Eternal Light Award Dinner provides crucial interreligious education for hundreds of Saint Leo students and members of the community, and it helps advance scholarship in Catholic-Jewish relations.
RSVP by Friday, October 30, 2026.
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A limited number of complimentary tickets are available for Saint Leo students.
For more information please contact Ms. Laurie Gens, the CCJS Administrator of Programs and Events, at laurie.gens@saintleo.edu or call 352-588-7711.
This event is generously cosponsored by the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
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2026-2027 Interreligious Dialogue Fellows
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Each academic year, the CCJS selects several Saint Leo students to serve as dialogue fellows. This year's fellows are below. The fellowships allow students with an interest in interreligious dialogue to study with faculty in the CCJS. Fellows learn why dialogue is important, and how to build mutual respect and understanding across differences. They meet with CCJS guest scholarly speakers and encourage other students to join with them in dialogue meetings focused on sacred texts from different religious traditions.
Dialogue Fellows receive a partial tuition scholarship of up to $6,000 over four years. Saint Leo undergraduate students interested in applying should contact laurie.gens@saintleo.edu. The CCJS Dialogue Fellows program is funded by the Cohn-Whiting Endowment for Interreligious Dialogue and the generosity of members of the community.
| | Amanda Weatherington is a religious studies and English major from Tampa, Florida. | |
Mario Castillo
is a freshman computer science major from Honduras.
| |  | Marcus Sineus is a junior accounting major from Poinciana, Florida. | |
Simon Zylbersztajn is a sophomore political science and international studies major from Cancún, Mexico.
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CCJS Mission
The mission of the Saint Leo University Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies is to build mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation among Jews, Catholics, and all people of good will by providing opportunities for interreligious education and dialogue.
Established in 1998, the CCJS remains the only academic center of its kind in the Southeast. Click here to learn more about the CCJS.
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