Greensburg, PA - Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education is proud to dedicate this, its Sixth Holocaust Education Conference to Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his pontificate.

“Teaching the Holocaust in Catholic Schools implements the teaching of Pope John Paul II on the Holocaust and his call for dialogue with the Jewish people,” said Sister Gemma Del Duca, the Center’s Co-director in Israel. “He speaks of the Shoah in personal terms because he suffered through the period as a young man in Poland. Numerous times during his Pontificate he has spoken of the Shoah with a sense of deep sorrow. At the same time, he has promoted historical and religious studies on this event as an essential component in fashioning the future. In the Conference we will be engaged in fashioning that future for Catholic education.”

When Seton Hill University founded its National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, the University began a new and important initiative in Catholic-Jewish understanding. The only center of its kind in the world, Seton Hill developed the NCCHE as a response to the urging of Pope John Paul II to recognize the significance of the Shoah, the Holocaust, and to "promote the necessary historical and religious studies on the event which concerns the whole of humanity today."

“No other Pope has worked so energetically, so consistently, and so poignantly to improve relations between Christians and Jews,” said Wilda Kaylor, Center Coordinator.

In celebration of Pope John Paul II’s Pontificate, we welcome the local Catholic community to participate in these events:

  • Featured Speaker Philip A. Cunningham on “Catholic Textbook Presentations of Jews and Judaism” on Saturday, November 8 at 2 p.m. in Cecilian Hall.

  • Gallery Talk with Curator Rosina Rubin on “Echoes of the Holocaust: Anna Walinska’s Paintings, Drawings and Collage, 1940-1986” on Saturday, November 8 at 7-9 p.m. in Harlan Gallery.

  • Featured Speaker John T. Pawlikowksi, OSM, on “Why Teach the Holocaust in Catholic School?” on Sunday, November 9 at 11 a.m. in Cecilian Hall.

  • Special Screening of Tak.for.Alt: Survival of a Human Spirit with Holocaust Survivor and Civil Rights Activist Judy Meisel, Filmmaker Laura Bialis, and Curriculum Guide Co-author Kathleen McSharry on Sunday, November 9 at 1 p.m. in Cecilian Hall.

  • Keynote Speaker Mary C. Boys, SNJM, on “Remembering the Shoah: An Educational and Theological Challenge in the Third Millennium” on Sunday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Cecilian Hall.

  • Featured Speaker Daniel C. Napolitano on “When Catholics Study the Holocaust: Guidelines for Owning the Intercultural Experience of Studying and Teaching about the Holocaust” on Monday, November 10 at 9 a.m. in Cecilian Hall.

  • Featured Speaker Eva Fleischner on “Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust” on Monday, November 10 at 10 a.m. in Cecilian Hall.

  • Kristallnacht Remembrance Service with Holocaust Survivors Judith Meisel and Marga Randall, Holocaust Survivors, November 10 at 4 p.m. in St. Joseph Chapel.

These events are free of charge and open to the public. For further information, go to www.setonhill.edu under “Centers” and “NCCHE” or phone 724-830-1033.