Tantur May 2014 newsletter: A May to Remember
Monthly newsletter from the Tantur Ecumenical Institute
The wait is over; we have a new rector!
While Jerusalem and Bethlehem are busy preparing themselves for this month’s visit of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew, we’re busy preparing for our own very special arrival of Fr. Russell “Russ” McDougall as the next rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute.
Fr. Russell’s appointment was made public earlier this month. After a months-long process of posting the position and accepting applications from across the world, Fr. Russell was selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates.
On page 2 of this edition of our newsletter, Fr. Russell gives some insight into his journey to Tantur through his years of spiritual development and vocational work. With all these developments happening, we’re also taking time to pause and reflect on the journey of Tantur from an idea that began with a centuries-overdue embrace between Pope and Patriarch in 1964, to what it is today. As we move into a new era of Tantur under the leadership of Fr. Russell, and towards our own 50-year anniversary of existence in 2022, we thank all of you that have been a part of this embrace of Christian ecumenism; past, present and future.