In Our Time

Excerpt from an excellent report by Cheryl Allison of The Times Herald News of Norristown, PA, (Philadelphia) regarding "Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time."

A SURPRISE VISIT

On his third and final passage along City Avenue Sunday afternoon, Pope Francis made an unannounced stop at the campus of Saint Joseph’s University. In a ceremony open only to faculty, staff and students, he blessed a sculpture, “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time,” by Philadelphia artist Joshua Koffman, that had been dedicated just two days earlier. It is installed in the plaza in front of the Chapel of St. Joseph – Michael J. Smith, S.J. Memorial.

The statue commemorates the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aestete, the 1965 Vatican II document that transformed the relationship between the Catholic and Jewish faiths. Answering its interfaith call, Saint Joseph’s founded its Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations two years later, the first collegiate institution in the United States to do so.

Philip Cunningham, a professor of theology, co-directs the institute with Adam Gregerman, a professor of Jewish studies. Its activities include education, research and community programs.

Nostra Aestete “opened the door to the idea of dialogue” between the faiths. . . . It began the process, but it took a couple of decades for us to learn how to talk to each other,” and that work continues, Cunningham said in an interview this week.

Plans for the sculpture to mark the anniversary began some time ago, he said. When Pope Francis’s visit as a part of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia became known, this weekend was seen as a most meaningful time to dedicate it.

The statue portrays two allegorical female figures, Ecclesia (the Church) and Synagoga (the synagogue). Though less known in this country, those figures were common in religious art in Europe, often placed above the entrance to a church or cathedral, Cunningham explained. In those depictions, the two were enemies. Ecclesia is shown wearing her crown; Synagoga is in defeat, her crown fallen. “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” includes a play on the words “Nostra aestete,” which mean “in our time,” Cunningham said. In the statue, the figures are shown sharing their sacred texts, a book and a scroll. “They are learning from each other.”

Cunningham said Pope Francis’s efforts to reach out to Israel in the past two years are well known, as is his close friendship and collaboration as author with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, whom he had met in his native Argentina while serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. When it was learned that Skorka would be in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, he was invited to the Sept. 25 dedication of the statue.

“Although the last word we had was that it was a possibility” that Pope Francis would stop to bless the sculpture, it was uncertain until a few hours before his last motorcade through campus whether it could occur, Cunningham said. When word came that it was a go, students who were on campus “flocked around the sculpture.”

Cunningham and his colleague Gregerman said the impromptu visit has meaning for both the Catholic and Jewish communities. “The pope’s blessing of the sculpture is of enormous significance to the Jewish community. It underscores the importance to the Catholic Church of Jews and Catholics learning from one another in the years ahead,” Gregerman said. “It was wonderful celebrating the anniversary of the watershed statement Nostra Aestete at SJU because of the university’s long commitment to Jewish-Catholic relations.” “The institute enables Catholic and Jewish scholars to teach and do research together, and for almost five decades has built close ties with the Philadelphia Jewish community,” Gregerman added.

From the Catholic viewpoint, Cunningham said, “Having the pope visit the campus to specifically bless the sculpture is powerful because it encourages the work of Jewish-Catholic relations. To have him actually present, by his gesture, says, ‘Continue the work.’ . . . He’s giving that his personal presence.”

Synagogue and Ecclesia in our time

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Barrens) — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 18:46:00 +0000

Father Joseph D. Wallace is director, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, Diocese of Camden, commenting on Pope Francis' visit to St. Joseph's University's statue commemorating the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate.

Synagogue and Ecclesia in our time

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Pope Francis in America, September 22 to September 27 , 2015

Frankly, this week, with its outpouring of wisdom, mercy, and love has left me somewhat speechless.

Many others more eloquent than I have been able to beautifully express their thoughts and feelings about the people and events we have witnessed. From the speech to Congress, to the United Nations, to the lunch with the homeless and the fellowship with prisoners; from Mass at Madison Square Garden (and prayer at St. Patrick's Cathedral), to the wisdom of schoolchildren in Harlem, and to the almost unbearable power of memory, compassion, and humanity at Ground Zero. And the Fiat.

At this moment in time I choose not to attempt to express what I am feeling in mere words. In the days ahead I will quietly ponder and reflect on these events. And I will pray. And I will try to be a better person.

And while it has been difficult to put my feelings into words, there is one thing I can say without a shadow of a doubt: I shall never forget it, and I, like many others, will never be the same.