Greensburg, PA – Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education (NCCHE) has partnered with March of the Living International (MOL) to recruit Catholic educators to participate in “An Educational Mission to Poland for Catholic Educators” as part of March of the Living 2005.

“Based on the work of our Center, we know there are Catholic Holocaust educators across the country, who can benefit from this extraordinary opportunity,” stated Sister Lois Sculco, Seton Hill vice president for administration and student life and NCCHE administrator.

“I can personally testify to the quality of March of the Living programs,” said Sculco, who has led Seton Hill students on the March of Remembrance and Hope, A Student’s Leadership Program and Mission to Poland. She added, “Traveling in Poland and visiting Holocaust sites was a life-changing experience that informs my work today as both a teacher and administrator.”

This is the third time the NCCHE has cooperated with MOL to take groups to Poland. In 2001 and 2003, groups of Seton Hill faculty, administrators and students participated in March of Remembrance and Hope, a college-level, interfaith program.

MOL 2005 holds a special significance, since it will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and VE Day—the day Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies in Europe on May 8, 1945—with its largest ever mission to Poland as a tribute to victims, survivors and those who fought for freedom. Nearly 18,000 people from around the world are expected to gather at Auschwitz for Holocaust Remembrance Day, May 5, 2005, as the focal point of the program.

The Catholic Educators program, as a component of the MOL 2005, offers Catholic educators an outstanding opportunity for professional development through specially formulated seminars, interfaith activities and tours of Holocaust sites. According to MOL officials, this program will be a powerful educational experience, providing educators with innovative resources to teach about the Nazi genocide and World War II. This is an opportunity to visit historical sites, meet with survivors and learn from Holocaust educators. Most of all, it will inspire educators to work for tolerance in their schools, parishes and dioceses.

Two of the specially trained group leaders who will accompany the group, Dr. Michael Cary, Seton Hill professor of history/political science, and Dr. Daniel Gray, Seton Hill associate professor of education, strongly encourage Catholic educators who teach the Holocaust to take part in the program.

Cary stated that the Holocaust is a “profoundly important event in western history that has affected everything since that time.” Both professors emphasize the “power of place” and point out that the “trip works better than the abstractions of literature.”

Regarding who should apply, Sculco noted, “We are interpreting ‘Catholic educators’ very broadly to include Catholic school teachers and administrators, as well as those working in parishes, church centers, colleges and universities across the United States. That includes clergy, lay and religious.”

The cost of the program is $1,600, which includes roundtrip airfare from New York, the educational program, site visits, accommodations and meals. Scholarships are available through MOL on a limited and competitive basis based on demonstrated need and commitment to the goals of the program. These scholarships, she said, can lower the cost of the program to as little as $500 - $800 for outstanding applicants.

Since 1988 more than 100,000 people from 45 nations have participated in March of the Living type missions. These programs—which have included up to 7,000 participants—are acknowledged as one of the most effective tools for educating future generations about the Holocaust and providing a deeper understanding of the devastation that took place in Europe more than half a century ago.

Application for “An Educational Mission to Poland for Catholic Educators” must be made to MOL by December 1, 2004.

Founded as the first Catholic Center of its kind in the world, the NCCHE will celebrate its 18th or Chai anniversary this year. For information on Seton Hill’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education or March of the Living 2005, please visit www.setonhill.edu and click on Centers and NCCHE.

Seton Hill University, chartered in 1918, is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts university with more than 30 undergraduate programs and 8 graduate programs, including an MBA. Seton Hill brings the world to its students through its distinguished lecturers and nationally and internationally renowned centers. Twice recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the nation’s Top 100 Entrepreneurial Universities, Seton Hill has also been named one of the Best Mid-Atlantic Colleges by The Princeton Review and one of Pennsylvania’s Top 100 Businesses by Pennsylvania Business Central. For more information on Seton Hill please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.