In Memoriam
G. Peter Richardson
G. Peter Richardson passed away on January 6, 2025. A Professor Emeritus in the DSR, past Principal of University College, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Peter was also a beloved colleague, teacher, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a supporter of the CFEB, and a teacher/friend to many of our members.
He will be missed.
For a full obituary, please click here.
Cardinal Connections
Two of the cardinals recently named by Pope Francis, Timothy Radcliffe and Jean-Paul Vesco, are Dominican friars who have a long history of connection with the École.
Cardinal Vesco (left), Pope Francis (right).
Cardinal Radcliffe (left), Pope Francis (right).
Cardinal Vesco is the Catholic archbishop of Algiers, and a former student of the École, where he studied from 2001 to 2002, before being named Vicar General of the Diocese of Oran (Algeria).
Cardinal Radcliffe, who served as Master General of the Dominicans from 1992 to 2001, also served as the École’s Grand Chancellor, and was keenly interested in its work. Both men were part of 21 new cardinals who were formally inducted into the College of Cardinals at a special Mass on December 7.
Some Congratulations
Recent books by CFEB Board members & scholarship recipients
Congratulations on the new books published by our friends and colleagues!
- Michelle Murray (scholarship recipient 2007), Tobit: Wisdom Commentary Series, Liturgical Press, 2024
- Rebecca Idestrom (scholarship recipient 2008), Show Me Your Glory: The Glory of God in the Old Testament, Pickwick Publications, 2023
- Isabelle Lemelin (scholarship recipient 2022), A l’origine des femmes martyres. La mere de 2 Maccabees 7. Brepols Press, 2022
- Christopher Zeichmann (scholarship recipient 2023), Queer Readings of the Centurion at Capernaum: Their History and Politics, Society of Biblical Literature Press, 2022
CFEB scholarship recipient academic appointments
And another congrats on the positions held by CFEB scholarship recipients around the world!
- Gillian Glass (scholarship recipient 2018–2019): Post-doctoral Fellow, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Eva Mroczak (scholarship recipient 2011): Spatz Chair in Jewish Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax
- Alexander Krogevol (scholarship recipient 2023): Volda University College, Norway
- Xenia Chan (scholarship recipient 2023): Assistant Professor at Augustana University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
In Memoriam
Marcel Gervais, 1932-2023
Marcel Gervais, the Roman Catholic archbishop-emeritus of Ottawa, died on August 6, 2023, at the age of 91. Archbishop Gervais was ordained to the priesthood in May 1958, and pursued graduate Biblical studies at both the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome) and at the École Biblique. He taught Scripture at St. Peter’s Seminary in London for several years, and served as the Director of the Divine Word Centre, a focal point for adult faith development in the 1970s. He was ordained a bishop in June of 1980, first as auxiliary bishop of London, and later as bishop of Sault Ste. Marie, and archbishop of Ottawa, before retiring in 2007. Archbishop Gervais was the principal author of “Journey,” an influential Biblical study course for adults, composed of 40 booklets that guided readers through the entire Bible, and which was translated into several languages and used worldwide. He was a longtime supporter of the Canadian Friends of the École Biblique, and we are saddened by his death.
A New Publication
In November 2023, CFEB Board member (and CFEB scholarship recipient) Murray Watson published his first book, with Paulist Press, New York. Titled Restoring the Gospels’ Jewish Voice: André Chouraqui and the Intersection of Biblical Translation and Interfaith Dialogue, it explores the life and legacy of this Algerian-born Israeli scholar, and his provocative approach to translating the Bible.
A Congratulations
Congratulations to CFEB Board member Dr. Dan Machiela on the publication of his new book A Handbook of the Aramaic Scrolls from the Qumran Caves: Manuscripts, Language, and Scribal Practices (Brill, 2022).
https://brill.com/display/title/57106?rskey=bDki1d&result=3
In Memoriam
Burton MacDonald, 1939-2022
Burton had an ongoing relationship with the École Biblique: he augmented his doctoral studies there, where he was awarded an Élève Titulair in “Bible and Archaeology.” While a student at the École, he became involved in archaeological field work in Israel, which translated into forty years of archaeological work in Jordan.
Read his full obituary from Dignity Memorial, here.
A Congratulations
Congratulations to Dr. Lynn Mills who defended her doctoral thesis from Trinity College, Dublin, on Thursday, July 7, 2022!
Lynn is a three-time winner of a CFEB scholarship.