In 1996, the University of St. Thomas and St. John’s University (Collegeville, Minn.) formed a partnership whereby each of their individual programs in Jewish-Christian understanding could be mutually enhanced. The St. John’s program was founded in 1969 and the St. Thomas program in 1985.
Center personnel administer various center projects on both campuses. These include an active lecture and dialogue series with noted academicians; hosting distinguished local, regional and national leaders in Jewish and Christian thought; and sponsoring noteworthy visiting authors.
In addition to a full schedule of classes at both universities, the center hosts week-long interfaith study workshops and brings scholars-in-residence to Christian and Jewish congregations, and to colleges and seminaries, across the Twin Cities and in outstate Minnesota and Iowa. The center supports significant work in Holocaust education and makes extensive use of the Internet for circulation of its major addresses. It is affiliated with other centers that are devoted to Jewish-Christian relations throughout North America as well as in Europe.
This funding, along with a matching amount from St. John’s, will increase the center’s endowment and ensure its vitality in the years ahead. The increased endowment will strengthen current operations as well as enable the center to address additional age-defined constituencies and other faith communities.
Among future interests, the center is exploring ways of applying its interfaith-education model to high schools (for example, bringing together students from Catholic high schools and local Jewish supplemental high schools). There is a need also to engage other faith communities, particularly the local Islamic community. The center already is moving forward to explore how best to engage that community in inter-religious dialogue.