Rev. Russell McDougall, C.S.C., has been appointed rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, a Jerusalem-based center of theological scholarship and learning administered by the University of Notre Dame. The appointment becomes effective July 1.
“Fr. McDougall’s exemplary scholarship, long pastoral service and ardent commitment to ecumenism should well equip him for this crucial position,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president”We know that under his direction, Tantur will continue to thrive in the Holy Land as a unique and invaluable center for study, prayer and pilgrimage.”
A native of northwest Indiana, Fr. McDougall graduated from Notre Dame in 1985, earned a master of divinity degree from Notre Dame in 1990 and was ordained a priest of the Congregation of Holy Crossin 1991. He earned a licentiate of sacred theology degree from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1998.
Fr.McDougall, who now resides at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., served in East Africa for nearly 15 years as associate pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Nairobi, Kenya; director of candidate formation for the Congregation of Holy Cross in Jinja, Uganda; and academic dean and lecturer in Old Testament at Queen of Apostles Philosophy Center in Jinja. Most recently, Fr. McDougall has been engaged in doctoral studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He also has studied at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His academic work has focused on Biblical narratives as works of art and moral agency. A frequent guest preacher in Methodist and Anglican congregations in Rome and Bologna, Fr. McDougall also has been an associate and friend of the Anglican Centre in Rome and of Temple Chayai Shalom in Easton.
Founded by Pope Paul VI, Tantur is a center for theological scholarship and a gathering place for scholars and students of all faiths. Located on a hilltop between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the institute is housed in a facility with more than 50 guest rooms, 10 apartments, a large auditorium and one of the finest theological libraries in the Holy Land. In addition to its academic programs, the institute sponsors continuing education for clergy, religious teachers and other church workers.
