Thanks to scholarships from the Pontifical Gregorian University and from Kirche in Not, I was able to enrol this year at the University for a Master Degree with a specialization in Judaic Studies through the Cardinal Bea Centre. The Centre provides a unique opportunity for Jewish-Christian encounter through academic engagement. The classes by renowned teachers – many of them Jewish – in the fields of Judaic and Biblical Studies are inspiring. Resources for research in these areas are readily available in the excellent libraries of the Biblicum and the Gregorian University and in the SIDIC Documentation Centre.

The academic rigor is matched by the encouragement given to participate in meetings and seminars dealing with Jewish-Christian and interreligious dialogue. The opportunity to participate, with scholarship assistance, in courses organized by the Centre in Jerusalem is a wonderful gift for aspiring students. The Centre deserves congratulations for the cordiality and efficiency with which it runs its programs. Judaic Studies and the study of Jewish- Christian relations are more than academics: it is truly a pilgrimage of trust and hope. I am glad to be in the right place for a good cause.

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James R. Anaparambil
Rev. James Raphael Anaparambil, Th.D., is Lecturer in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Institute of Theology and Philosophy in Alwaye, Kerala, India. During a Sabbatical he has become again a full-time student for the current academic year.