Sister Celia Deutsch has been selected as recipient of the next Eternal Light Award by the Advisory Board of Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies (CCJS) in Florida, USA. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the cause of Catholic-Jewish relations.
Research Scholar in the Religion Department of Barnard College/Columbia University, where she taught for twenty-seven years, Sr. Celia’s main interest lies in early Jewish and Christian social and religious intellectual history. She is the author of numerous books and works of biblical scholarship, such as Lady Wisdom, Jesus, and the Sages: Metaphor and Social Context in Matthew’s Gospel, and has worked and lectured in the USA, Canada, Italy, Israel and Zimbabwe. She is currently working on a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, part of the Wisdom Commentary Series (Liturgical Press).
Celia is deeply engaged in interreligious dialogue at local, national and international levels. Her involvements include serving as a member of the theological commission for the International Council of Christians and Jews, and co-chairperson of the Interfaith Coalition of Brooklyn, an inter-religious and inter-ethnic alliance that includes her parish (Our Lady of Refuge), two synagogues and a Muslim community.
The Eternal Light Award is due to be presented to Sr. Celia on 8 November during an event in Tampa Bay that will feature her presentation at the parish of Espiritu Santo parish and lecture the following day at St. Leo University.
Click here for more details about the Eternal Light Award.