E-Letters | Archives | FAQs | Walking God’s Paths | Board Room
©Copyright Center for Catholic-Jewish  Studies 2009, All Rights Reserved

Mission Statement:

“Building mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation among Jews, Catholics, and all people of good will by providing opportunities for interfaith education and dialogue.”

Sponsoring Partners:

Saint Leo University

American Jewish
Committee

Friends of the Center:

Diocese of Saint Petersburg

Florida Holocaust Museum

For Macaulay, the greatest benefit of this program was the affirmation that people of all religions have been graced by God and have the same core beliefs of family and community values. “Although we are different in the way we worship God, we are the same in that we do worship the same God and try to do right by the tenets of our respective ‘paths’ God has given us to ‘walk,’” he said. “Those tenets require us to love God and serve one another and they are derived from the Ten Commandments.”

Cole said she found that the main message in both Hebrew Scripture and the New Testament is simple—love. “Yet we know how complex it becomes to apply this message. If we can start person to person we can perhaps open the door to greater understanding,” she said. “With our group, we were willing to learn and dialogue about our differences and not feel threatened. Being open-minded is the key to better understanding and we were able to accomplish this and that is why our group bonded so well.”

Because the group enjoyed the fellowship so much, they agreed to continue meeting although they have completed the “Walking God’s Paths” program.

“We are pretty well ‘hooked’ as a group,” Macaulay said. “I think that all of us feel that we have made some really close friends. The fellowship is wonderful. There is a synergy there that doesn’t always exist when exploring faith issues with members of one’s own faith. The equal mix (Catholic/Jewish) demands that we examine our own institutional faith beliefs through the eyes of worshipful people that do not share them.”

The Jewish representatives are as enthusiastic as the Catholics.

“We have this ongoing relationship and I don’t want to lose what we have,” Kreiss said. “I feel that we’ve been able to develop bonds of trust to speak to each other. I think we should really put this out there and start developing understanding.”

As part of their extended curriculum, the different faiths visited each other’s sacred spaces to learn about their worship practices. Deacon Francis Cole, Gladys Cole’s husband, led the tour of Epiphany Cathedral. Among the topics covered, Deacon Cole explained the meanings behind the stained glass windows, the different liturgical colors and the different books used in the Mass. These “field trips” gave the group even more insights into the similarities of their faiths.

The membership is next planning several events to continue the sharing of their respective faiths, including a study group of the prophets from the Old Testament, Macaulay said. “It will be interesting to see how we come together as we read the prophets,” he said.

While any parish interested in presenting “Walking God’s Paths” is more than welcome to do so, Macaulay said he believes that, for the program to work to the fullest advantage, it should be “embraced by a synagogue and a parish together.”