Uncategorized Archives - Saint George's College Jerusalem

January 2025 brought the best news for which we had been praying and yearning, for many months – a ceasefire in Gaza which brought the first nights of respite for the battered residents of the Strip for over a year. Prisoner exchanges by both sides brought joy and relief but also grief, and in some cases, anger. But at least it felt as if some positive progress was being made. But relief was all too short and the ceasefire failed to progress to stage two. To our deep distress the bombing and killing started again and the prisoner exchange halted.

Lent started with relief but ended in grief. Thus, we enter into the season of Easter in a state of fear and agony with the peace and the hope of justice still a distant prospect. While the peoples of Israel and Palestine continue in a state of war, the day-to-day situation in Jerusalem and in the Galilee is far less dangerous than it has been through most of the time since October 2023. As a result, some pilgrim groups are tentatively returning to the Holy Land. Pilgrimages cannot yet operate as they did before the war began but in the College we feel able to say that it is now a good time to begin to plan a pilgrimage with us for later in the year and for next year because the travel restrictions put in place by many countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have been lifted.

The peoples of these lands desperately need the return of pilgrims. Those dependent on the pilgrim/tourist business have endured the deprivations of COVID, followed by the severe financial impact of eighteen months of war. Planning a pilgrimage now will give grounds for a little optimism for the beleaguered peoples of Israel/Palestine. A pilgrimage with St George’s College gives a chance to demonstrate Christian solidarity with Palestinian Christians and spending time with our communities throughout the land will be an important part of any pilgrimage in these days. At certain quiet periods while numbers are still low, a personally planned pilgrimage for a small group may be possible. Please contact me directly about this, if desired.

We have great hopes that our friends around the world who have supported us with prayers and funding through these days of suffering will now be able to show support by planning a return to pilgrimage with us. We can promise an experience which will be spiritually uplifting and informative about the current realities.

We have reissued the College courses schedules which have some alterations. Please see the list below. All booking can be made via the College website: www.saintgeorgescollegejerusalem.com.

With continuing thanks for our worldwide community of support, we send you Easter greetings of resurrection joy.

St George’s College has experienced numerous serious disruptions to its ministry over the past fifty years and there is an institutional memory of surviving these great challenges. We are in another of those moments of deep rupture. Once again, it isn’t the result of the College’s mismanagement or errors of judgement. This crisis is brought about by an explosion of violence between Israelis and Palestinians which has resulted in atrocities by both sides causing devastating numbers of deaths and casualties. The College staff along with people of all faiths and none, mourn these tragic events and the grief and deep trauma which result.

Pilgrims and tourists have fled in their droves. There has been a rush to the airport even as there have been wholesale cancellation of flights. We have a group of 33 pilgrims with us on a study pilgrimage and it has been a profoundly challenging experience for them. Several decided to leave to return home. But 30 have remained, determined to do as much of their greatly anticipated experience that safety and sensible planning will allow. They feel confident in the College’s planning and assessment of direct risks and so, barring one day when we simply sheltered in the College library, we have been able to offer an adapted schedule of visits to key holy sites in Jerusalem and Galilee. This has been based on a realistic assessment of risks and not a stubborn resistance to accept the facts on the ground.

Rev Rodney Aist, Course Director, Rev Andrew Mayes, Chaplain and myself have been able to lead and guide the course with fortitude, in the best traditions of St George’s College, determined not to be daunted by events. The Palestinian staff have faced very serious challenges to get to work owing to closed checkpoints for some and unsafe travel circumstances for others. But we have managed to offer a good experience for our pilgrims. These travellers from the US, Canada and Australia have been extraordinarily determined, patient and flexible. We hope and pray that they will be able to return as planned in a few days’ time, but they all know there is a risk that they will have to remain longer than planned. We have however had to cancel the pilgrimage which follows this one which is a blow to all. Will it be possible that this is the only cancelled course? We just do not know. We will communicate with those registered on upcoming courses as and when necessary.

Far more serious than that are the realities on the ground for Palestinians and Israelis especially for all those living in Gaza and those living in the environs outside the Strip.

The implications for all the peoples of the Holy Land could not be more serious. Death, injury, grief, loss of homes and livelihoods is on a scale not seen in these lands since 1967. Everyone is shocked by the extreme violence which has broken out and of course, all killings of innocents and targeting of children and women must be condemned, but the trouble has been brewing for years. A system which subjects two million West Bank Palestinians to military occupation and also incarcerates two million Gazans in an open prison is unsustainable and will inevitably lead to extreme violence. Exactly what can be done to change this reality cannot be agreed upon yet but it is certain that change must come. This change must give Palestinians a viable and acceptable way to live their lives in freedom. Equally, the Israelis have the right to defend their borders and live with security. May the God of all hope lead us out of darkness into God’s kingdom of peace and justice. It feels a very long way off but we cling onto that hope and we must realise that small steps in the right direction give us momentum towards that distant target, which is our goal.

Sample Itinerary
[This is a sample program only.]

Friday, Sept 19
Opening Evening (Eucharist, reception, dinner)

Saturday, Sept 20
Jordan River (Reaffirmation of Baptism)
Monastery of the Temptation (Jericho)
Bedouin Lunch
Wadi Qelt Overlook

Sunday, Sept 21
Early Morning Visit to the Holy Sepulchre
Worship in Jerusalem
En Prat Nature Reserve
Mount of Olives Overview
Walk down Mount of Olives through the Kidron Valley to the pool of Siloam

Monday, Sept 22 (Overnight at Mitzpe Ramon)
Tel Beersheba / Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah
Ein Avdat National Park hike
Avdat National Park / Nabatean and Byzantine City
Sunset at Mitzpe Ramon

Tuesday, Sept 23
Brief walks in Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon)
Beit Guvrin National Park
Return to Jerusalem

Wednesday, Sept 24
Qumran National Park
Masada National Park
Ein Gedi National Park

Thursday, Sept 25 (Overnight near the Sea of Galilee)
Landscapes of Samaria
Mt Gerizim National Park
Ein Harod / Old Testament site
Drive to the Sea of Galilee

Friday, Sept 26 (Overnight near the Sea of Galiee)
Tel Dan / Old Testament city and springs
Banias (Biblical Caesarea Philippi) / Banias Waterfall hike
Nimrod Fortress National Park
Drive through the Golan Heights

Saturday, Sept 27
Boat ride on the Galilee
Mt Arbel National Park
Gan HaShlosha (Swim opportunity)
Return to Jerusalem

Sunday, Sept 28
Morning worship in Jerusalem
Expressions of Urban Wilderness
Lunch at Aida Refugee Camp (Bethlehem)
Afternoon walk through Wadi Al Makhrou (Battir)

Monday, Sept 29
Monastery of John the Baptist in the Wilderness (Ein Kerem)
Avshalom/Soreq Cave (Stalactite Cave Nature Reserve)
Afternoon/Evening in Jaffa
Sunset over the Mediterranean
Return to Jerusalem

Tuesday, Sept 30
St George in Choziba
Closing Eucharist (Augustus Victoria Overlook)
Free Afternoon (Recommended: Hezekiah’s Tunnel)
Closing Sessions

The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth was built on the site which many people believe is the house of St Mary and where the Angel Gabriel visited her.

Every time we visit the basilica, our Course Director at the College, invites the pilgrims to carefully look at an inscription on the altar placed in the house. It reads: ‘Verbum caro hic factum est’. Here, the Word was made flesh.

In Bethlehem, we visit the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born. In this place, now in the basilica, pilgrims have come since at least the fourth century to commemorate the exchange between God’s messenger, the Angel Gabriel, and the Theotokos, the God-bearer, Mary, which results in the incarnation.

Many centuries and several church buildings later, the present basilica was dedicated in 1964. Its lower level is rather dim, silent, and focuses the attention on the house, also referred to as a grotto. Some compare it to a womb. It is a place of origin.

As our world is forced to slow down dramatically, as the streets around us become silent, may we trust in God’s silent work within us and have faith in the presence of God, hic (here) and everywhere.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

Blessed art thou among women,

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Janet Bucquet McCully, former Board member of both the North American Regional Committee (NARC, now the North American Committee) and the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ), died from complications of kidney disease in Seattle on July 1, 2018. Janet attended the ten week course (The Bible and the Holy Land: Past and Present) at St. George’s College in Jerusalem in 1989 at the time when the College building was under renovation. She was deeply moved by the experience and became instrumental in fundraising for the renovation and the addition of a third floor on the College building.

Dean of the College in 1989, Canon John L. Peterson, said, “Janet’s time at St. George’s College impacted her life until she took her last breath. Next to her bed when she died was the 33 taper Resurrection candle that had been initially lit at the Empty Tomb in the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.” Janet loved Jerusalem, its people, the Episcopal Diocese there and its humanitarian work. Janet worked tirelessly to connect us with our Christian brothers and sisters in our Holy Land.

A memorial service will be held at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, on Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 2:00 in the afternoon. Janet’s family has requested in lieu of flowers, “please consider a contribution to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem”.

The Friends address is:

AFEDJ

25 Old King’s Highway North

Suite 13

Darien, CT 06820

USA

Saint George’s College and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the Right Reverend Suheil Dawani, is pleased to announce the appointment of Revd Richard Sewell as our next Dean of the college.

Richard comes from the Diocese of Southwark, United Kingdom. He was ordained priest on the Feast of St Francis 2003 and has served in parishes in the Diocese of Southwark throughout his ministry. He trained for ministry at SEITE now St Augustine’s College. He also studied Theology at the University of Birmingham, following which he worked at the Church of Scotland Hospice in Tiberias as a volunteer. For three years he initiated and oversaw an Inter-Faith Project in East London. Most recently, Richard has been for the past seven years the Team Rector of Barnes Team Ministry in south London.

Prior to ordination Richard worked for the Anglican Mission Agency, USPG, as a mission educator with additional responsibilities for USPG’s relationship with the Churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

JulieAnn, his wife, a Primary School teacher and Counsellor, will be joining the college community whist their son, Nathaniel, and daughter, Eliana, continue to pursue their careers and studies in the UK.

Asked to reflect on his forthcoming ministry and role here as Dean of Saint George’s College, Richard responded.

“I am so excited and feel very privileged to have been selected as the new Dean of St George’s College. This role brings together a lifetime’s interests and commitments in ministry and beyond. I am delighted to be able to join the staff team of the College and the Cathedral and to lead the College into what I pray will be a very positive future.”

Our expectation is that Richard will commence his position as Dean of St. George’s College Jerusalem in October 2018.

The St. George’s College staff and community celebrate the Easter pilgrimage of the The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church.

During the pilgrimage, the Presiding Bishop visited institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem accompanied by Archbishop Suheil, his staff and members of St. George’s College community. Palm Sunday the local Palestinian Christian community were blessed with Curry’s message and celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Curry reminded the congregation in his Palm Sunday message when reflecting on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we must remember that Jesus is alive as the hymn proclaims and this gives us hope,” Because He lives I can face tomorrow.” His full sermon may be found here https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org

The pilgrimage included visits to sacred sites in and around Jerusalem and paying respect in a private visit the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Jordan and the Patriarchal Commission to Bethlehem, Theophylaktos, and His Beatitude Theopholis III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, who called the Presiding Bishop Curry, ” our brother,” and presented him with an engolpion. A day trip to Nazareth included conversations with students at Christ School as well as Palestinian students involved in https://www.jerusalempeacebuilders.org who shared with the Presiding Bishop the impact this interfaith program has on their lives and hope for peace in this land.

Presiding Bishop Curry spent an early morning visit to St. George’s College with Acting Dean the Rev. Canon Richard LeSueur, and the Rev. Dr. Susan Lukens, Associate Dean. Accompanied by the Rev. Canon Chuck Roberston, Chuck reminisced about his own memories at the college whilst he spent time here on a pilgrimage study course. Susan explained to the Presiding Bishop that nearly 80% of the pilgrims enrolling at the St. George’s College for a course are from North America, so the visit of the Presiding Bishop was one of gratitude for such sustaining support and lasting friendships with both lay and clergy from the Episcopal Church.

The Presiding Bishop’s parting reflection renewed hope for the people in this land:

As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as the Bible teaches us, we must find ways to work for the peace of Jerusalem, which will be found where there is true equality for all, true justice for all and true freedom for everyone. Here it is clear that this is not simply an idealistic dream. It is the only hope, and we must not rest until it is realized. ( Episcopal News Service March 29, 2018)

The St. George’s College staff and Cathedral close community will long remember the affection and care from the Presiding Bishop and his staff; their admiration for this land of the Holy One and the pilgrimages provided by the college blessed our mission.

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We are grateful for the contribution of writings from the Episcopal News Service, The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg Interim Managing Editor and the photo is attributed to Sharon Jones, Executive Coordinator to the Presiding Bishop and Primate.

The St. George’s College staff and community mourns the loss of the former Dean of St. George’s College, the Revd. Canon Dr. John Wilkinson, who passed away on January 13.

John began his career at St. George’s College in 1961 as a tutor and subsequently became Dean of the college from 1969-1974.

During his tenure at St. George’s College, John designed short courses and his format is still experienced today whereby our students visit holy sites, engage in theological reflection and experience worship and fellowship with the local Palestinian Christians. The Rev. Dr. Stephen Need, former dean of the College from 2005-2011, reflected on the significant contribution of Revd. Wilkinson, calling John the “founding father of St. George’s College. His scholarship and love of Jerusalem and the Holy Land were legendary.” Stephen Need wrote:

During my time as Dean of St. George’s College when traveling around the land and in the Sinai with groups, John’s name would come up frequently because he had translated the famous Egeria’s Travels to the Holy Land (1971) and numerous other texts published in “Jerusalem Pilgrims Before the Crusades,” (1977) and “Jerusalem Pilgrimage 1099-1185 (1988). ”

In addition to his Biblical scholarship and teaching excellence, John played a key role in supervising the construction and design of the college building that is used today. The cornerstone visible on the eastern facade of the building was designed and installed by John in 1962.

Besides his legacy in the role of Dean and leader within the St. George’s Cathedral close community, Revd. Wilkinson was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of London and the Courtauld Institute of Art for his research dissertation entitled, “ Interpretations of Church Buildings before 750.” Whilst serving as Dean and in the subsequent years when he frequented Jerusalem, becoming the Director of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, John was still a familiar presence in the worshipping life of the cathedral close; Revd. Wilkinson became a canon of St. George’s Cathedral in 1973.

Recently while visiting the cathedral close, The Revd. Canon John L Peterson, dean of St. George’s College from 1983-1994, reflected on the legacy of John Wilkinson at the college:

Without a doubt, it was Canon John Wilkinson’s vision that laid the foundation on which St. George’s College is built today. For those of us who knew John, we knew him as a scholar, educator and a dedicated priest who cared deeply about giving clergy and laity a profound appreciation for the bible, the land, the historic churches and the peoples of the land. Thank you John for being an inspiration to all the Deans (as well as College staff and course members) who have followed you.

The Revd. Canon Dr. John Wilkinson was preceded in death by his first wife, Alexandria McFarlane, and is survived by his widow, Mzia; the St. George’s College staff and community send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends. John’s impact on the college academics, leadership and affection for the local Christian community will be remembered with admiration and gratitude for his years of ministry herein.

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We are grateful for the contributions of the following former deans and their permission to include them in this memoriam.

The Revd. Dr. Stephen Need and The Revd. Canon John L. Peterson.
Photo from Church Times, 16 Feb. 2018.

St. George’s College Jerusalem is pleased to announce the appointment of The Reverend Canon Mary June Nestler as our next Course Director and Lecturer in Contextual Biblical Studies.

Since 2010, Canon Nestler has served as Canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, having previously been the Canon for Ministry Formation. Ordained to the priesthood in 1979, she has served in a variety of parish ministries and diocesan roles, including as priest of charge of several congregations, a member of the Standing Committee and Commission on Ministry in the Diocese of Los Angeles, and as six-time deputy to General Convention from the dioceses of Utah and Los Angeles. She has been a keynote speaker, preacher, instructor and parish educator across The Episcopal Church throughout her ministry career.

Before assuming the role of Canon in the Diocese of Utah, Canon Nestler was Dean and President of the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont from 1992-2006 and a member of the faculty from 1981. This leadership in the theological education and formation of lay and clergy leaders will enhance Nestler’s collaboration with the St. George’s College staﬀ and visiting faculty.

Canon Nestler was a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Anglican/Oriental Orthodox International Dialogues in 1993.

Canon Nestler brings her extensive church historical and archaeological credentials to integrate in her work as our new Course Director. She has been a consulting archaeologist and area supervisor for the Mount Carmel Project, Haifa, Israel, since 1998, and was also an area supervisor at Sepphoris for seven seasons (where her team discovered the “Mona Lisa” mosaic) and Capernaum.

Canon Nestler holds a C.Phil. from the University of California in early church history, an M.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University Ecumenical Institute, an MDiv. from The General Theological Seminary, and a B. Music, from The Curtis Institute of Music. As a Fellow of The Episcopal Church Foundation, she studied also at Jesus College, Cambridge, where she focused on Christian origins and Syriac language.

Well known in our college community, Canon Nestler served from 1985-1991 and since 2014 as a visiting scholar leading courses for St. George’s College.

We look forward to the extensive gifts of historical, archaeological, and biblical scholarship and institutional leadership that Canon Nestler will bring to St. George’s College. Her anticipated start date is July, 2018.

Texan friends of North American Committee member, The Very Revd. Barkley Thompson, welcomed in the Deanery at St. George’s College

Dear Alumni, Friends, and future Pilgrims,

March has been a month of both new and renewed friendships at St. George’s College- living out our mission to be a place in Jerusalem that can be a home to all those who enter our gates.

for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; ( Matthew 25:35)

Renewed visits with Nick Porter, Jerusalem Peace Builders, and his co-chair, Stuart Kensinger, included a day at the Herodium after their important work bringing MD Anderson Cancer teaching conversation to the people of Gaza, 8 Houstonians arrived for evening prayer- and we followed this with drinks at the deanery to celebrate new friendships! And on a personal note- my fellow Virginia Theological Seminary alums- Regina and Lark from California surprised me with a dinner night out and of course conversation about returning to St. George’s College with a group of their students! Our college community has welcomed Palestinian theologian, Naim Ateek, as a resident scholar, for several months. ( see below for more details). And our March course welcomed British and Canadian chaplains whose laughter amid serious theological discourse ended with a meal together celebrating the beauty of fellowship in gathered community.

Wendy, a Floridian here a few weeks ago for the Palestine of Jesus course, reflected about the welcoming presence that St. George’s College and Cathedral Close provide for all who enter, whether you are here for the first time or returning for rest and renewal.

Although I have only been here 2 weeks, in my own small way, I feel passionate about St. George’s too. You have an incredibly wonderful facility with a beautiful church, remarkable library, fine accomodations, beautiful gardens- all together in a marveous cloister like environment.

I need not tell you that it feels like Holy Ground here—and all in Jerusalem- how fabulous!!

Welcoming is hospitality and this is how we authentically live into our St. George’s College mission; by making St. George’s your home, the theology of place and the sacredness of this land come together herein. It is amazing how within just a few days, course members become family and a community is born in the midst of prayer at Capernaum, song at St. Anne’s Church, and morning Eucharist shared in the Cathedral chapel.

As we approach the end of Lent and begin our Easter vigil, I know that most of you reading this newsletter are alums who have walked the Way of the Cross. Those memories will hopefully begin to nourish you in the days to come. Are you with Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane? Are you with Joseph from Arimathea asking Pilate for the body of Jesus or are you with Mary Magdalene crying outside the tomb? I am in Bethany helping to find the donkey to carry our Lord.

Whoever you are in the Easter story, our prayers are with you at the foot of the cross for the healing nourishing love of Christ.

On behalf of the entire St. George’s College staff, I send you many blessings from all of us who do feel “passionate about the college,” and thank all of you for feeling the same way.

The Rev. Dr. Susan Ackley Lukens

Associate Dean

St. George’s College

associatedean@sgcjerusalem.org

In the News

March 27 through 30, St. Georges College hosted the Mission Theology Conference under the direction of Bishop Graham Kings, Mission Theologian for the Anglican Communion. and Dr. Muthuraj Swamy, Associate Professor in Theology and Religion from Pune, India. Nine contributors “zoomed in” everyday for discussion of their papers; Myanmar, Egypt, Sudan, Brazil, Japan, and Kenya.

Bishop Graham and Dr. Muthuraj take a break from the conference and enjoy a day in Galilee

Read all about the conference in Anglican News!

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/03/conference,-hosted-in-jerusalem,-links-up-theologians-from-around-the-globe-via-the-internet.aspx

Palestinian Theologian in Our Midst

Naim Ateek, Palestinian theologian and founder of Sabeel, is staying in our community at St. George’s College for a few months to finish his next book. On Wednesday, March 29, Naim joined the Mission Theology conference and spoke about how the quest for peace here must begin with justice.