STS Newsletter 1
SALESIAN PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY - JERUSALEM
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY
STUDIUM THEOLOGICUM SALESIANUM
STS Newsletter 2
CONTENTS
President’s Message03
Conclusion of the Academic Year 2015-2016 04
Study Trip to Jordan 06
Archeological Excursion 10
Topographical Visit to the City of David
10
Ecumenical visit to the Lutheran Church of the
Redeemer, Jerusalem 11
Jewish Childhood in the Roman World of Jesus 12
New Books from STS13
STS Graduates 2015-201614
Past Pupils Corner 19
STS Football Tournament20
SALESIAN PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, JERUSALEM
The Salesian Pontifical University’s Jerusalem Campus
of the Faculty of Theology (Studium Theologicum
Salesianum - STS) carries on the academic tradition
of the former Salesian Centre for Theological Studies
established in Bethlehem (1929), then transferred to
Tantur (1949), to Cremisan (1957) and to Jerusalem in
September 2004. It is is located a short 20 minute walk
from the Old City of Jerusalem, site of the major events
of Christ’s life.
The Studium Theologicum Salesianum offers a fouryear Pontifical Bachelor’s Degree in Theology and from
2015, a Diploma in Biblical Geography and History, and
a Diploma in Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism.
All courses are taught in English. The STS follows a two
semester system (SeptemberJanuary and February-June).
In addition to students who do the regular four-year
degree programme, STS welcomes students who want to
study a selection of courses in theology.
The lay and religious students and faculty come from
various religious orders and congregations and rites
within the Catholic Church. You can get to know us better
at www.jerusalem.unisal.it We also have a well furnished,
computerised library containing over 40,000 volumes
and close to 100 periodicals in various languages - the
majority being in English, Italian and French. You can
check our library catalogue on our website. You can
contact us at [email protected]
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
STS Newsletter 3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear Friends,
This has been an eventful year for the Jerusalem Campus of the Salesian Pontifical University. God has blessed us
with the first batch of graduates in two Diplomas in addition to the usual Degree graduates. The Diploma in Biblical
Geography and History and the Diploma in Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism were approved by the University in
the summer of 2015.
In the field of research and publications, in addition to works of the professors and students published by other
publishers, the STS Publications brought out three books and a translation: a) Michael, Biju and Antony Vazhappilly.
Mary of Nazareth: Through Poems and Pictures from the Holy Land. Jerusalem: STS Publications, 2016. b) Ferrero,
Michele. The Four Gospels in Four Languages: Greek, Latin, English, Chinese. Jerusalem: STS Publications & Beijing:
Latinitas Sinica, 2016. c) Michael, Biju, David Rosen, Francesco Giosuè Voltaggio, and Iyad Zahalka, ed. Mercy without
Boundaries. Jerusalem: STS Publications, 2016. Studium Theologicum Salesianum translated from Italian the life of
a newly canonized saint, Saint Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad: Foundress of the Order of the Most Holy Saviour of St.
Bridget, published by the Bridgettine Sisters in Jerusalem.
Dreams and visions are alive too. The STS has proposed providing its Diploma in Biblical Geography and History in a
Virtual Learning Environment. In May 2016, the Faculty of Theology of the University has approved the proposal. We
now await required permissions from religious authorities to get started on realizing this dream. This new initiative tries
to follow the advice of Pope Francis to reach out to the peripheries. It is hoped that this Online Diploma would make
Biblical studies available to a large number of the people of God spread across the world.
In terms of visible fruitfulness, we happily await the Diaconal Ordination of thirteen of our students and the Priestly
Ordination of five of our students. Tomasz Sage will be ordained in Poland, Carmel Myrthong, Christopher Lourduswamy,
and Clarence Kharmawlong will be ordained in India and Luca De Muro will be ordained in Italy. Bishop William
Shomali, the Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem will ordain the thirteen Deacons.
The teaching-learning experience has been rich, supplemented by a host of activities and experiences. As always, this
issue of our Newsletter reports on the activities and experiences of April-June.
We thank God for all the blessings He has showered on us in this academic year. We also place on record, our thanks to
all our friends and well-wishers for your kind generosity towards us.
Rev. Dr. Biju Michael
President / Principal
NEWS
STS Newsletter 4
THE CONCLUSION OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2015-2016
Jerusalem, 4 June 2016
Romero D’Souza SDB
On 4th June 2016 STS had the official conclusion of the
academic year 2015-2016. We began at 11.00 am in the Don
Bosco Hall. The occasion was graced with the presence
of His Excellency Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the
Apostolic Nuncio & Delegate to Jerusalem, Israel.
The first part of the programme began with the hymn to
the Holy Spirit Veni Sante Spiritus followed by the words
of welcome given by Sr Angela Ridout SJA, the Registrar
of STS, in which she gave thanks to the many persons
involved in the academic processes of growth in the love
of God during the past year. Cl. Dieunel Victor SDB
spoke on behalf of the students thanking the outgoing
students and thanking the Lord for this year which has
been a year of blessing and challenges. This was followed
by a video presentation highlighting the important events
of the Academic Year 2015-2016 produced by Javier
Orengo SDB.
Two other speeches followed. The first by Deacon Tomasz
Sage sdb (representing the graduating group) who gave
thanks to the professors for their help in nurturing them
through theological insights, learning and synthesis. He
made special mention of Rev. Fr Biju Michael SDB the
President, who had been a great source of encouragement
by both word and example. He concluded by inviting
all the students to hold on to strong will and patience in
study and learning for the ultimate goal: Jesus Christ and
for the mission.
Ms. Elena Camilleri (representing the first group
of graduates of the two new Diploma programmes:
Diploma in Biblical Geography and History & Diploma
in Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism) spoke of her
experience of learning and her immersion into the Bible
through the classes, visits, guided readings and reflections
by the professors of the University.
The Chief Guest, Archbishop Lazzarotto awarded the
trophy to the winning team (St Matthew) of the STS
football tournament held on 28 April. After this he also
released the two books from the STS namely Mercy
without Boundaries & Saint Maria Elisabeth Hasselblad.
The first is published by the STS Publications and the
second is an English translation by the STS. In his
words of advice and exhortation, Archbishop Giuseppe
Lazzarotto, made two suggestions. Quoting Pope Francis,
who in turn cites St. Ignatius of Loyola, who said that it
is not knowledge that fills and satisfies but the savouring
and tasting of God’s wisdom, which is love. The task
for a priest is to share God’s love acquired along with
knowledge to all they serve. The second piece of advice
also comes from Pope Francis who noted that one cannot
be a good educator from the window. True education
comes from living among those to be educated and
understanding what their life and cares are about.
Bacc alaureate Graduates with Staff
NEWS
STS Newsletter 5
Followed by this motivational and inspiring talk we had the
presentation of the PONTIFICAL BACHELOR DEGREE
IN THEOLOGY and PONTIFICAL DIPLOMAS to the
graduating students. The vote of thanks was proposed by
the President Rev. Fr Biju Michael, who thanked the staff
(teaching and non-teaching) for their dedication, classes,
time and availability; and the students for their co-operative
and collaborative work and help as well as their efforts to
reading and study. He concluded giving thanks to God in
the words of the psalmist quoting Psalms 107, 92 and 138.
At the end, we sang a thanksgiving Hymn entitled: “Give
thanks with a grateful heart…”
The second part of the programme was the sumptuous
BBQ lunch on the basketball court, which was a time spent
in fellowship and family spirit by students and staff. Steven
Redhead claims that life is what one’s heart and mind has
pondered most. “In learning and in life we ultimately
pursue, not conclusions, but beginnings” and today as
we come to the close of our academic year it is only a
beginning to take our learnings to the places we go and to
live our learning.
Diploma Graduates with Staff
NEWS
STS Newsletter 6
STUDY TRIP TO JORDAN FROM JERUSALEM TO AMMAN (Day 1)
29 March 2016, STS – Jerusalem
By Adam Dupré, SDB
On the morning of March 29 at 6:30am, the students of
the STS gathered outside to board a bus that would take
them to the Jordanian border. The bus departed shortly
after 06:45am and the trip to the border was about two
hours. On reaching the border, the students disembark the
bus to begin the border crossing process to exit Israel and
enter into Jordan.
Once in Jordan, and on two buses, the students were
introduced to their two guides, Mohammed and Ali, as
well as their Tourism Police Officer, Adonis, who would
be there to help guide them through the country of Jordan.
The first stop was at the ancient city of Pella which was
part of the famous Decapolis, a series of 10 cities that
were close to one another in language and culture in
an otherwise Semitic area on the Eastern edge of the
Roman Empire. Pella had been continually occupied
since Neolithic times until an earthquake destroyed the
city in 750 AD. Christians from Jerusalem took shelter in
Pella before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The
students and staff of the STS listened to the guides explain
the Greek, Roman and Byzantine histories of the city.
They then walked about the city ruins and took photos.
The next stop was to another city of the Decapolis, Umm
Qais. This place was quite beautiful: it is one of Jordan’s
most dramatic antiquities sites. The name of this city was
originally called, “Garda” which means “fortification”. In
the middle ages the name in Arabic became “Umm Qais”
which means “frontier station”.
The next visit of the day was to Jerash, also part of the
Decapolis. Jerash is considered to be one of the most
important and best-preserved Roman cities in the Near
East. According to recent excavations, Jerash had been
occupied during the Bronze Age.
After completing an afternoon of adventure and learning,
the STS students and staff went to Amman, the capital
of Jordan, where their hotel was located. After finding
their rooms the STS group met for Mass in a conference
room. Shortly after, they had dinner and then retired for
the evening.
NEWS
STS Newsletter 7
FROM AMMAN CITADEL TO MUKAWIR (Day 2)
30 March 2016, Amman, Jordan
By Richard M. Mulenga, M.Afr
In a friendly atmosphere, on the early morning of
the 30th March 2016 during our study trip in Jordan,
we visited the Citadel of Amman. Our guide gave
a rich description about the citadel, the city of many
residential units, which were mostly set aside for
use by those engaged in the government. What was
remarkable about the citadel was that the citadel
was believed to have been one of the most important
cities during the Roman period. Its particularity is the
three religious symbols i.e. The Roman Temple, The
Byzantine Church and The Mosque. According to our
guide, the remains of the Byzantine Church dates back
between the 6th and 7th century (550AD). The Dome
or D1 (Mosque) dating between the 7th and 8th century
(730AD) was built during the period of the Umayyad
and is part of an example of the Islamic city of that
time. It was rebuilt by the Spanish archaeologists to
its present state.
We had an opportunity to visit the
Jordan Archaeological museum which contains objects
and remains of different periods in history such as stone
tools from the Stone Age period.
Subsequently, we went to the baptismal site on the
Jordanian side. There we read three important Biblical
events; the crossing of the Jordan River by the Israelites
(Joshua 3:1-17), the whirlwind: Elisha succeeds
Elijah (2Kings 2:1-18), and the baptism of our Lord
Jesus Christ (Mt 3:13-17). Besides that, we read some
writings of some of the early pilgrims which affirm the
site to be the baptismal site of our Lord Jesus.
After visiting and reading the scripture passages, we left
for Mount Nebo, the mountain believed to be the place
where Moses was shown the Promised Land by God.
We had our Eucharistic celebration, prayerfully lead
with angelic singing. From the top of the mountain, one
could see the city of Jericho, the Jordan River, Dead
Sea and many other places.
Upon finishing our visit on Mount Nebo, we went
to Madaba where the map of the Middle East was
discovered by a scholar from Jerusalem in 1897. This
map is said to have helped in locating some religious
places in the Holy Land since, dating back to the 6th
sixth century, it is the oldest map of the Holy Land ever
found.
We ended our day by visiting the Ancient Fortress
of Machaerus, the place where John the Baptist was
imprisoned and beheaded by Herod Antipas (Mark
6:14-16).
NEWS
STS Newsletter 8
FROM AMMAN THROUGH KERAK TO PETRA (Day 3)
31 March, 2016 Petra, Jordan
By: Clement Htun Yan Naing, SDB
At 7:30 a.m. the STS students left from Amman to Kerak
(Karak), a city in Jordan known for its Crusader castle,
the Kerak Castle. They reached the Castle around 8:30
a.m. and explored it for an hour together helped by the
explanation of the guide.
Next, the students proceeded to Petra, where they had
lunch before entering the city. After lunch, the students
experienced Petra, which in Greek means ‘cleft in the
rock’: it is one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” and
was the capital of the Nabateans. The history of Petra
dates back to the 13th century BC; after the 13th Century
AD, Petra was lost to time and was not rediscovered until
1812.
The Students explored Petra, a red-rose city half as old
as time, for at least about four hours. After this precious
time in Petra, it was time for the group to go to the Petra
Panorama Hotel in Wadi Moussa. After celebrating Mass,
the dinner followed and then the students said good night
to one another in anticipation of another wonderful day.
FROM PETRA, BACK TO JERUSALEM (Day 4)
1 April 2016, Wadi Rum, Jordan
By Patrick Sebyera, M.Afr
After three wonderful days experiencing some of Jordan’s
important sites including, Pella, Jerash, the Citadel of
Amman, the Baptismal site, Kerak, Madaba, Mount
Nebo, the place of the Execution of John the Baptist
(Machaerus) and Petra, on the fourth day we set out on
our return journey back to Jerusalem.
The last day of our study trip, we visited “Wadi Rum” in
South Jordan and “Eilat” in the south of Israel. We had a
tour in the desert in jeeps, each jeep carrying six people.
This experience allowed us the experience of an amazing
view of the desert, on a sunny and windy day. We celebrated
Mass and enjoyed our lunch in the desert before proceeding
NEWS
STS Newsletter 9
to the border of Jordan and Israel, hoping, if time allowed,
to pass by Eilat and visit the Aquarium. Unfortunately by the
time we crossed the border, the site had closed and therefore
the visit was not possible. However, we had the bonus of
passing by the Red Sea, in Eilat. We stopped there for some
minutes, to enjoy its terrific view.
Wadi Rum, also called Desert Valley, is located in South
Jordan. It has been inhabited by many human cultures since
prehistoric times, including Nabateans, leaving their mark
in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples. Other
inscriptions were made by traders and caravans from Yemen
and Arabia as they stopped in the Wadi for water. According
to our guide, Mr. Mohamed, Wadi Rum is the richest place
in water in Jordan. Wadi Rum may be best known for its
connection with the British officer T. E. Lawrence, who
passed through several times during the Arab revolt of 19171918. Parts of the historical movie, Lawrence of Arabia was
filmed in Wadi Rum. In the 1980s one of the rock formations
in Wadi Rum was named “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”
after Lawrence’s book written in the aftermath of the
war. In this interesting place there are Bedouins who,
working with climbers and trekkers, have made a success
of developing eco-adventure tourism, now their main
source of income. The area is one of Jordan’s important
tourist destinations and attracts an increasing number of
foreign tourists, particularly trekkers and climbers, also
for camel and horse safaris. Popular activities in the desert
environment, include camping under the stars, riding
camels and horses, hiking and rock-climbing among the
massive rock formations.
We thank God for this study trip during which everything
went well. For all who collaborated to make it possible,
for the knowledge we acquired during our four day trip,
for the wonderful views and discoveries in different sites,
and for His Divine Providence and protection throughout
our stay in Jordan, may the name of the Lord be blessed
forever.
NEWS
Excursion & Conferences
ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCURSION
STS Newsletter 10
24 April 2016, STS – Jerusalem
By Adam Dupré, SDB
publically and declined the Emperor’s offers of titles and
land and was ultimately sentenced to death.
On 21 April 2016 the students of STS – Jerusalem, set
out on their final Archeological Excursion of the year. For
this excursion the students and staff members went to four
different places. In the morning they travelled to Neot
Kedumim, a nature preserve that has many plants, flowers
and trees from biblical times. In the afternoon the students
and staff travelled to Lod, to the Greek Orthodox Church
of St. George and from there made their way to Emmaus
Nicopolis and finally to a Cistercian monastery close to
Emmaus.
After the visit to Lod, the group travelled to Emmaus
Nicopolis, most famous for its mention in the Gospel of
Luke chapter 24, where Jesus encounters two of his disciples
on their way to Emmaus. Emmaus offered a very strategic
point in the area for military and economic means. It is first
mentioned in the 1st book of Maccabees in chapters 3-4,
when Judas Maccabee is at war with the Greeks. Christians
first began venerating at this location during the Crusades.
In 1837, due to a dream of St. Mariam of Jesus Crucified,
the place of Emmaus was revealed to the Carmelite nuns
who bought the land from its Muslim owners. They began to
excavate it and found the remains of an ancient city.
At Neot Kedmim, the students and staff were led by a local
guide and her two grandchildren throughout a portion of the
park. The guide was very knowledgeable and shared stories
of the park and how people in biblical times lived off the
fruit and produce the plants offered. The students had the
opportunity to gather different grains and process them in
the same way the people in biblical times would have.
After a break for lunch, the STS –Jerusalem group continued
by bus to Lod, located just outside of Tel- Aviv adjacent to
Ben Gurion Airport. There, the group visited the Greek
Orthodox Church where St. George is buried. St. George is
a martyr of the 4th century. He was a Christian who fought
in the Roman Army but was killed by his fellow soldiers
when he revealed that he was a Christian. He was a guard of
the Emperor Diocletian who objected to the Emperor’s edict
that all Christians in the Army should be arrested and were
to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. George objected very
The last visit of the day was to the Trappist Abbey of Latrun.
Latrun has a very significant geographical place in biblical
history. Its first appearance is in the book of Joshua 10: 1-11.
Joshua leads the Israelites in a battle against the Amorites
and is victorious. Later in the 1st book of Maccabees,
Judas Maccabee sets his camp in Latrun in preparation for
the attack on Emmaus where the Greeks were encamped.
Today, the Trappist monks have established an abbey there
and run a winery and gift shop.
This archeological excursion was one to remember. Our
brothers of the third year completed their program of
Archeological Excursions necessary for their diplomas and
degree. Also, in the tradition of the STS – Jerusalem, the
students and staff enjoyed a nice ice cream break to mark the
last archeological excursion of this academic year.
TOPOGRAPHICAL VISIT TO THE CITY OF DAVID
7 April 2016, STS – Jerusalem
By Mwampoteki Joseph, M. Afr.
Once again, the first year students and some from the other
year groups enjoyed a Topographical Visit to a very ancient
city of David’s Jerusalem close to the Temple Mount.
Firstly, we visited the remains of what is believed to be
David’s house or palace (cf. 2 Samuel 5:11). Surprisingly,
the city which was built in the Bronze Age, was only
discovered in 2005, just a decade ago. It is amazing to see
the remains of a city built before the existence of the first
temple. On the hillside under the house of David there is
a stepped stone structure, which seems to support David’s
palace. Around the stepped stone structure there are remains
of other houses such as the house of Ahiel. The name Ahiel
was found in the ruins of the house - that is why it is believed
that it was his house. From 1 Chronicles 15:1, we know of
houses surrounding David’s house. Astonishingly, there is
also a room that is burnt; the burnt remains date back to the
time of the first temple destruction (2 Kings 25:8-9).
After seeing the City of David, we walked in Hezekiah’s
Tunnel, which has flowing water from the Gihon spring.
King Hezekiah diverted this tunnel for military reasons
(2 Chronicles 32:4) from its natural tunnel called the
Canaanite tunnel, which is higher than Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
It was the most interesting part of our visit. We walked for
around 40 minutes in the very cool water, which covered
at least our feet. Our torches helped to provide light;
otherwise, the tunnel is in total darkness. We followed
up to the Shiloah pool (2 Kings 20:20). Unfortunately,
the Shiloah (Siloam) pool is now a very fertile a garden,
indicating just how much water lies beneath it.
The Shiloah pool marked the end of our visit. Interestingly,
through a different tunnel, which was dry, we came out
from this city of David. There was still more to see, but
because we live in a time and space, we hope to return in
another given time and space. The visit was a beautiful
experience guided by Fr. Pol Vonck M.Afr. We thank him
for sharing his time and knowledge with us.
NEWS
Excursion & Conferences
STS Newsletter 11
ECUMENICAL VISIT
TO THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, JERUSALEM
4 May 2016, STS- Jerusalem
By Cletus Atindaana, M.Afr
On April 26 2016, the third and fourth year students
pursuing the Diploma in Interreligious Dialogue and
Ecumenism, were led by Fr. William Russell, the
teaching coordinator, on a visit to the Lutheran Church
of the Redeemer in Jerusalem.
The three-hour long visit was aimed at introducing
students to a practical and a vivid ecumenical encounter.
It envisaged creating the opportunity for students to
meet and interact with another Christian family of a
different tradition outside their own Catholic milieu
(similar to the ones done in the past in interactions
with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Syro-Catholic
Patriarchal Eparch, and the Greek Melkite Patriarchal
Vicar).
The group was warmly welcomed to the family of
the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer by Wolfgang
Schmidt, Provost of the German-Speaking Protestant
Congregation of Jerusalem. After a short reciprocal
introduction, the Provost gave a brief historical
background of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
in Jerusalem. Shortly afterwards, the group was led to
a luxury hall where, in a relaxed manner, it engaged
in an interactive “question and answer session” with
the Provost. He answered patiently and generously the
different kinds of questions from students, ranging from
the leadership organizational structure of the Lutheran
Church through to its inner liturgical life, as well as
its social, ecumenical and interreligious engagements.
One could easily infer from his answers and more
importantly, his personality and pastoral attitude,
that the Christian faith is indeed essentially one but
lived in diverse traditions. When asked to personally
state a major challenge to the ecumenical dialogue in
Jerusalem, the Provost, singled out the area of Christian
ministry. In his view, to be one as a Christian family
entails being able to accept the other in his own faith
tradition and to give him the due consideration as one’s
equal.
Restrained by time, the enriching discussions ended
with a quick tour of the interior of the Lutheran Church.
Happy with the group’s visit, the Provost expressed
his willingness to host similar encounters in the near
future. The group on its part, was indeed content with
such a rich visit and the hospitality shown by the
Lutheran family.
NEWS
Excursion & Conferences
STS Newsletter 12
JEWISH CHILDHOOD IN THE ROMAN WORLD OF JESUS
6 April 2016, STS – Jerusalem
By: Paolo Negrini, SDB
History does not know any man who has not lived belonging
to a particular culture, even Jesus of Nazareth: therefore
the study of the cultural environment of the historical Jesus
helps us to better understand his humanity, the raw material
of his Incarnation. To this fascinating journey, with passion
and expertise, Professor Hagith Sivan from the University
of Kansas Lawrence, United States, has launched herself.
She has worked for decades along two main paths, the
world of Late Antiquity and ancient Judaism; and this
afternoon, Wednesday 6th of April 2016, has brilliantly
carried the STS students along the paths of this history that
still has so much to tell and reveal. The Conference was
focused on a fascinating topic, on which Professor Sivan
is currently hard at work on a large scale project, a topic
that has not yet received the attention it deserves: Jewish
childhood in antiquity.
At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, in the desert region
south of the Dead Sea, in what the imperial power of Rome
had recently reorganized under the name of the province
of Arabia Felix, lived a Jewish child named Jesus, whose
story might help us shed light on the childhood of another
more famous Jesus, who had lived not far from there, a
century before. Dr. Sivan introduced the story of this little
boy and his mother Babatha. Following the traces that
other explorers before her had left, in a cave on the Dead
Sea near Ein-Gedi, was the discovery of a leather pouch
containing legal personal documents of this woman. This
find allowed researchers to reconstruct her tangled marital
and familiar affairs, where mother and son were forced to
flee, just as the Holy Family into Egypt, when in 132 C.E.,
the effective repression of the Roman legions transformed
the Jewish revolt of Bar Kokhba into a Pax Romana.
They both died there, in the dark, probably of hunger
and thirst, mother and child, probably suffering that same
violence with which Herod exterminated the firstborn with
the hope of getting rid of that uneasy child King. The story
of Babatha and her son, though without annunciation or
miraculous births, seems at least in one aspect to be like
the story of that Jesus who came to make God’s love the
beatitude of the poor and the meek of Jhwh: this like that,
are stories of suffering, stories experienced by flesh-andblood men, women and children, who suffered from hunger
and cold, forced to flee for their lives, stories in which the
will of God did not always shine bright as sunlight that
beats on the waters of the Dead Sea or the Sea of Galilee.
Through documents of Babatha’s story and of her son Jesus,
we know his childhood; but we are historically almost
unaware of the childhood of Jesus of Nazareth, under the
attentive care of Mary and Joseph.
Almost like in a mirror, we know how the human life of
Jesus ends, but we don’t know how it ends for the other
Jesus: yet even the latter, before the end, would have
endured thirst, he must have been wearing rags, and finally
closed his eyes throwing out his last breath. Similarly we
can imagine Babatha who, like Mary at the foot of the cross
of her Son, would have embraced her child and would have
followed him in the darkness of death, dark like that cave
on the Dead Sea, hoping that a glimmer of light could have
beaten from the Eastern foothills of the mountains of Judah,
as a gift from God that makes all things new.
So, all those who, this afternoon had the courage and
patience to follow Professor Sivan on the dark and sunny
trails of this old history, came out of this cave with more
help to build and nurture a less abstract faith, and know
better the One in whom men believe.
NEW BOOKS FROM STS
STS Newsletter 13
SAINT MARIA ELISABETH HESSELBLAD
Foundress of the Order of the Most Holy Saviour of St Bridget
By Sr Angela Ridout sja
The Booklet, edited by Former Patriarch His Beatitude
Michel Sabbah and Rev. Fr. Pier Giorgio Gianazza
has now been translated into English. Its publication
coincides with the date of St Elizabeth’s Canonization
in Rome by Pope Francis, on 5th June 2016. The
work was coordinated by the STS Principal, Fr Biju
Michael; those involved with the translation were: Joo
Sook Kwak (Corres), Paolo Negrini, Hervé Tougma,
Matthew Coutinho, Stephen Kuncherakatt, Angela
Ridout, and Biju Michael.
The Booklet tells the story of Elisabeth Hasselblad,
who was born in Sweden to a Lutheran rural middle
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life I death
was sureat
to the
hear age of eighty-six.
her
until
the Lord’s voice and I have tried to walk
according to His Will.”
Saint
Maria Elisabeth
Hesselblad
Foundress of the Order
of the Most Holy Saviour
of St. Bridget
H.B. Michel Sabbah
Translated by
Studium Theologicum Salesianum
Jerusalem
(St. Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad)
As a child she loved to pray and read the Bible. She was still
young when she had a dream wherein she saw the house of
St Bridget, even though at the time she knew nothing of
it. This dream left a lasting and decisive impact on her life
and through circumstances; it eventually led her to renew
the Order of the Most Holy Saviour of St Bridget. The
new saint shines as a bright example of faith in God and of
complete trust in Him.
MERCY WITHOUT BOUNDRIES
A new book by STS Publications was released by His
Excellency Giuseppe Lazzarotto on 4th June. The book is
edited by Biju Michael, David Rosen, Francesco Giosué
Voltaggio and Iyad Zahalka and deals with the boundless
mercy of God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES 2015-2016
STS Newsletter 14
DEACON JOHN CHRISTOPHER DEFENDS HIS BACCALAUREATE SYNTHESIS
1 June 2016 STS – Jerusalem
By: Adam Dupré, SDB
On the morning of June 1, 2016, Deacon John Christopher
Lourduswamy defended his Bachelor of Theology thesis,
entitled, “The Word of God as Revealed in the Hebrew
Scriptures and Incarnated in the New Testament leads and
empowers the Church in her mission.” Sitting on the defense
panel examining the thesis of Deacon Lourduswamy were,
Rev. Biju Michael, SDB, President, Rev. Leopold Vonck,
M. Afr who served as the Tutor and Rev. Andrej Toczyski,
SDB who served as Reader.
preaching and teaching. The Deacon answered well, citing
that preaching is the initial announcement of the mystery
and the teaching is a further development in support of that
initial proclamation.
After a short recess, the Bachelor of Theology defense
panel met and deliberated and then finally awarded Deacon
John Christopher Lourduswamy, SDB, the Bachelor of
Theology degree.
Deacon Lourduswamy is expected to be ordained to the
Deacon Lourduswamy began the 10-minute presentation Order of the Presbyterate on July 9, 2016 in Chennai by the
of his thesis by thanking his tutor for helping him in his Most Rev. Soundararaju, D. D.
work. His synthesis comprises three chapters wherein he
speaks of the theological ideas of revelation, the Word
of God, Salvation History, Soteriology and other things.
Next, he speaks of the revelation of God in the personal
experience of a person, a particular encounter of each
individual. God’s word is the revealed truth. The Gospels
have a privileged place because they are the written record
of Jesus’ teachings and actions. The mission of the Church
began with the Incarnation and is moving on even today.
The first examiner on the defense panel was Fr. Pol Vonck,
Tutor to Deacon Lourduswamy; he commented that the
Deacon’s choice of topic for his thesis was truly “allencompassing”, concerning all his studies that were needed
in order to write his paper. Fr. Vonck called the work an
“unfinished symphony”, a work that inspires others to
study the topic more deeply. The question that Fr. Vonck
enquired of Deacon Lourduswamy was, “Distinguish
between revelation, Word of God and the Bible.” Deacon
Lourduswamy answered masterfully. He answered very well
and cited from Dei Verbum in showing the distinguishing
work of the Word of God and Revelation, while maintaining
the fact that all three are integrally intertwined.
The next examiner on the defense panel was Fr. Andrej
Toczyski, Reader of Deacon Lourduswamy’s thesis, and
he posed this question: “What is the relationship between
written scripture and the living tradition of the Church?”
Deacon Lourduswamy responded that Scripture and
Tradition of the Church are vitally important in the Church.
He quoted Chapter 1 of St John’s Epistle as well as Dei
Verbum and spoke of how tradition developed into the
Sacred Scripture. Furthering his defense, he answered that
both tradition and scripture are the wellspring of God for
the salvation of souls.
Lastly, Fr. Biju Michael, President of the defense panel,
asked several questions while referring to many pages
from the Deacon’s thesis work. Fr. Biju Michael asked if
there was any way for the Deacon to distinguish between
BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES 2015-2016
STS Newsletter 15
DEACON LUCA DE MURO DEFENDS HIS BACCALAUREATE SYNTHESIS
1 June 2016, STS – Jerusalem
By: Vladimir Plasek, SDB
On June 1st Deacon Luca De Muro successfully passed the
Baccalaureate Exam and became a Bachelor of Theology. The topic
of his thesis was: “God and the Human Being, a continuous dialogue.”
His tutor was Fr. David Neuhaus and the reader Fr. Matthew Coutinho.
In his synthesis, Deacon Luca made use of the experience of dialogue
of his life, having lived two years in Albania and four years in
Jerusalem, there facing the challenges of different cultures, languages
and religions (Islam). His synthesis consists of three chapters:
Dialogue in the Scriptures, Dialogue in History, and Dialogue at the
Second Vatican Council.
The first chapter deals with the scriptural roots of the concept of
dialogue, analyzing the dialogical approach of God towards humanity,
in the life of Noah, Abraham, Moses and the Prophets in the Old
Testament and its fulfilment in Jesus and the Apostles. The second
chapter traces the development and adaptation of the concept of
dialogue in the various philosophical and theological thoughts, from
the Classical to the modern era, pointing out the Socratic dialogical
method, apology of St. Justin, the dialectical method of St. Thomas
Aquinas and finally the concept of “Anonymous Christianity” in
the theology of K. Rahner. The third chapter shows the “turning
point” that occurred during the second Vatican Council, focusing the
attention of the dialogue of the Church with the world of men and
where other religions are here described as worthy of appreciation on
the side of Church. Deacon Luca concentrated on the first encyclical
of Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, in the sense that “the whole history of
man’s salvation is one long, varied dialogue.”
In his work, Deacon Luca has tried to demonstrate that dialogue
is not a new concept born out of the necessity of coexistence with
other religions. It is a concept rooted in the very essence of our being
that we are created in the image of God, developed in the history of
Church as a journey of decisive encounters as milestones with the
pinnacle event in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The humanity in
this constant dialogue plays the role of an active participant, not a
passive recipient.
Tutor Fr. David Neuhaus pointed out that during his fruitful work,
Deacon Luca made good choices to grasp the crucial points without
losing the view of entirety of many ideas and personalities. He also
remarked that the synthesis opened many questions that might lead
to answers in future, especially related to the continuity and novelty
of the dialogue. Deacon Luca answered that the history of the
Church was always a kind of “tension”. Therefore also the second
Vatican Council was not a rupture with the history of the Church,
but a novelty in taking a new approach. The concept of “monopoly
of salvation”, thus obtaining a new light “without Christ there is
no salvation”. The salvific mission of Christ, the Paschal mystery,
is the aim for all, not only for Christians. Thus the term ‘People
of God’ is to be considered as it opens new horizons in terms of
the ecumenical dialogue, interreligious dialogue and dialogue with
atheists.
To the question of the reader Fr. Matthew Coutinho, “Which are
the key elements of proclamation that can never be compromised
in dialogue?” Deacon Luca responded that the essential points are
connected with addressees of the dialogue and therefore it is the
modality that is changing, but we cannot speak about non-negotiable
elements.
The question of Fr. Biju Michael, the head of the examining
commission and Principal of the STS and answer of Deacon Luca
led to an important element, that there is a role in circumstances
and the historical moment can challenge us to reflect how to deal
with persons. The circumstances do not build the identity, but the
dialogical dimension is the proper element of every relationship.
We have to incarnate the personal core relationship of God to create
dialogue with another person.
BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES 2015-2016
STS Newsletter 16
CARMEL MYRTHONG EARNS BACHELOR DEGREE IN THEOLOGY
Jerusalem, 28 May 2016
In a packed examination hall in the Jerusalem Campus
of the Salesian Pontifical University, Deacon Carmel
Myrthong from India successfully completed his final
Baccalaureate Exam.
The theme of his Theological Synthesis was: “The
multiform analogy of the Word of God: eternally
existing in the Trinity, temporally creating and
animating the world, incarnate in Christ for a
person’s salvation in the fullness of time, preserved
and proclaimed by the Church inside and outside
for universal salvation.” Deacon Carmel did the
research under the guidance of Professor Pier Giorgio
Gianazza. In addition to the Tutor, the examination
commission had Professor Gianni Caputa as Reader
and the Principal, Biju Michael as the President of the
commission.
Deacon Carmel presented the theme to the audience
and then faced a series of interesting questions
from the examination commission. Deacon Carmel
answered questions on how he would engage as a Catholic
in ecumenical dialogue with Protestants who hold
position of, sola Scriptura, sola fide and sola gratia. He
then went on to answer the question on valid and reliable
methods of hermeneutics in interpreting the Word of God.
Further discussion brought him to the theme of the word
of God preached in the liturgy of the Church and to the
limitation of official, ministerial preaching of the Gospel
being limited only to ordained ministers. The divergent
interpretation of the Old Testament by Christians and Jews
in the understanding of the Trinity was also discussed.
At the end of this rich discussion, Carmel was declared
Bachelor of Theology, thus bringing to a glorious and
fruitful conclusion, his four years of study in the Holy
Land.
Deacon Carmel is expected to be ordained Priest by Bishop
Victor Lyngdoh on 30 October 2016 in his home parish of
Christ the King, Sonapahar in the Diocese of Nongstoin in
northeast India.
BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES 2015-2016
STS Newsletter 17
DEACON SAGE DEFENDS HIS BACCALAUREATE SYNTHESIS
30 May 2016, STS - Jerusalem
By: Vladimir Plasek, SDB
On May 31st, Deacon Tomasz Karol Sage successfully
passed the Baccalaureate Exam and became a Bachelor
of Theology. The topic of his thesis was: “No one is more
human than Christ. Humanity and its vocation in the light of
Christ who is the image of the Father, the centre of creation
and the perfect human.” His tutor was William Russel
and the reader Karol Kulpa. Tomasz based his theological
synthesis on good knowledge of the teaching of the Church,
Church Fathers and opinions of theologians, both medieval
(T. Aquinas, D. Scotus) and contemporary (W. Kasper, H.
U. Von Balthasar, J. McQuarrie, K. Rahner, T. de Chardin).
Deacon Tomasz was, in his theological synthesis, motivated
by the question as to whether it is legitimate to say that no
one is more human than Christ and if so, in what sense he
may be described as more human than human beings. He
developed this theme in five chapters: Christ, the image
of the Father. Christ, the centre of all creation, Christ the
perfect human, No one is more human than Christ and
finally Humanity and its vocation. He referred to Vatican
II and St. John Paul II with the central idea, that we cannot
know who the man is if we do not understand properly
the humanity of Christ. This supported the fact that main
part of his synthesis, the first three chapters, are the
Christological part, the fifth chapter is the anthropological
part and the fourth chapter is the bridge between them with
the conclusion how Christ, the perfect human, can be a
relevant model for the contemporary young people.
In his work, he shows us why we call Jesus the perfect image
of the Father. He discussed Anselm’s question: “Why did
God became man?” in the view of two approaches, Thomist
and Scottist and left possible
reconciliation of both views as a
challenge for the contemporary
theologians. He explained well
the term “kenosis” in terms of the
humiliation of Christ, who laid
aside the “privileges” of being
divine to become truly human
and reached the extreme in the
shameful death on the cross. Part
of the title of this work is shown
to be inspired by the words of St.
Irenaeus of Lyons: “The Father is
the invisible of Son, but Son the
visible of the Father, therefore
Jesus Christ is the image of the
Father.” (p.34).
Deacon Tomasz further presented
the Paschal Mystery as the central
event that points out our origin
and mission in the universe and Christ as the crown of all
creation, who in perfect response to the Father, became
the best example for us. Without the Paschal Mystery we
could not understand how to reach full humanity. One of
the arguments for presenting Christ more human then we
are is that he was without sin, which dehumanizes us and
damages us. In the last chapter he presented the mission of
redeemed man following Christ and announcing salvation
to everyone in the universe, with hope that through the
resurrected body we may reach the beatific vision with all
of creation. In this way, Mary without sin, but still a human
being, is a masterpiece of God’s salvation.
To Fr William Russel’s question, “How to present Christ
to young people today?” Deacon Tomasz’ answer was
inspired by Cardinal Ratzinger’s two suggestions. Firstly,
that the pierced side of Christ, where the new humanity
began, brings us back to the side of Adam, where the
original vocation of God was revealed, He created us out
of love. Secondly, the outstretched hands of Christ on
the cross, where he gave praise to God and embraced the
humanity, lead us to our mission to worship God and serve
all humanity, especially those at the peripheries, as Christ is
described in serving the Samaritan in the Gospel.
The Reader, Fr. Karol Kulpa asked a question on how
getting closer to Jesus through a spirituality of devotion to
Mary can be presented as biblically sound. At the end of the
questions and answers from the whole commission, Fr. Biju
Michael, the Principal declared the successful candidate a
Bachelor of Theology.
BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES 2015-2016
STS Newsletter 18
DEACON KHARMAWLONG GRADUATES AS BACHELOR OF THEOLOGY
31 May 2016, STS – Jerusalem
By: Richard Mulenga, M. Afr.
On the morning of the 31 May 2016, the feast of
the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Deacon Clarence
Kharmawlong defended his theses “God became man so
that man could become the son of God” (Athanasius).
The incarnation reveals the Holy Trinity’s project of
eternal love for humanity and in Christ manifests the
model of a new human being.” On the examining panel
was Rev. Fr. Biju Michael, Principal of the of the Studium
Theologicum Salesianum Jerusalem campus, Professor
Fr. Giovanni Caputa and Rev Fr. Eric Wyckoff. After a
wonderful introduction and presentation of the Deacon
by the Principal, Deacon Clarence led us in a prayer
from the Epistle to the Hebrews, which he had used as
inspiration for his thesis. Thereafter, the Deacon had some
ten minutes to present the summary of his thesis, which he
did in a comprehensive way.
Prof Rev. Fr. Caputa, Deacon Clarence’s tutor gave an
appreciative and critical review of the work done by
Deacon Clarence. Prof. Caputa asked on what response
could be posed to answer the critical situation of dialogue
between Christians and Muslims, and Christians and
Jews. In response Deacon Clarence showed the different
faith backgrounds for each of the three religions and
expounded on the theological visions of Exclusivism,
Inclusivism and Pluralism and its consequences.
The reader, Rev. Fr. Eric Wyckoff, appreciated the work
and also gave critical remarks to help improve the work.
After giving his view on the thesis, Prof. Eric Wyckoff
asked two questions which were well answered by
Deacon Clarence. The principal, Fr. Biju Michael, also
showed support with an appreciation of the work and he
also asked some questions. One of which was, “How is
Christ seen as a model in the human practice of virtues?”
Impressively, the Deacon answered very well and duly
graduated as a Bachelor of Theology.
PAST PUPILS CORNER
MY EXPERIENCE AFTER I LEFT THE
HOLY LAND
STS Newsletter 19
By Giuseppe Di Sario
As soon as I left the nest of STS Jerusalem, I was
ordained a Priest on the 22nd of June 2013, after which I
was sent immediately to the place of my next obedience:
Napoli. There I spent two full and intensive years that
I will never forget. I was in charge of two different
activities, in two different places.
First, in the morning I worked in a centre called “Le Ali”,
in which we had a very interesting project, thought and
developed by a very old but committed and enthusiastic
Salesian: don Alfonso Alfano. We took sixteen year old
boys and girls, drop outs who had left school for different
reasons and we proposed to offer them a project and
path at the end of which they could eventually obtain a
professional certificate of cook, waiter or receptionist. It
was interesting and amazing seeing these young people
without any hope and with big and huge problem rising
again and flourishing. It took a lot of my energy but it
taught me a lot and for sure this experience enriched me.
In the afternoon I was in charge of a youth centre next to
a Salesian parish in a very poor and difficult quarter of
Napoli in which the “camorra” (the Napolitano Mafia)
reigns and makes everything bad. It was hard work
to establish some rules and make the centre a reliable and
safe place. The key word was sharing, in fact before doing
anything I tried to share the life with these people. As I
said, it was not easy but at the end it was successful. People
started to rely on us and in two years, helped by amazing lay
collaborators, we built a wonderful youth centre where we
took care of the boys and girls of the quarter, together with
their families.
After these two intense years, I applied for the missions and
the Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation sent me to
the Middle East Province. At this moment I am in Cairo,
Egypt, where I am trying to learn Arabic whilst helping in
our Technical High School where I work as a catechist and
am responsible for pastoral activities. In a place where the
contrast between different religions and confessions is very
evident, we try to make our boys experience the beauty of
sharing, going beyond the differences. Here again the key
word is sharing! The boys in Egypt are amazing: in our
school they find a high level education, together with human
formation and a house where they can grow together. It is
not easy, but I like it!!
STS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
27 April 2016, STS – Jerusalem
Mathew Kurian, SDB
After many nail-biting moments and tough
battles, the ‘Matthew’ Team was victorious in the
STS football tournament, obtaining nine winning
points. Hervé, the team captain, scored five goals
in an outstanding performance.
Encouragement and cheers poured out from
the 20
STSamong
Newsletter
spectators as a great number of the STS staff came to
watch the games. Everyone in unison, acknowledged
and appreciated the initiative and organization of Chege
Erastus (the student representative of STS) along with
his
The much-awaited STS football tournament
was held on Wednesday afternoon in the Kraft
Family Stadium, Jerusalem. Four teams named
after the four evangelists – Mathew, Mark, Luke
and John – came face to face with one another
in various encounters, brimming with excitement
and passion. Each team played against the rest
of the other three teams for 25 minutes each.
The winning team in each match obtained three
points, whereas when it ended in a draw, each
team carried one point each.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Adam Dupré
Vladimir Plasek
James Raj
Richard Mulenga
Angela Ridout
Cover & Design: Pushparaj
For admission and other details kindly contact:
[email protected]