Greensburg, PA โ€“ The National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education (NCCHE) at Seton Hill University, in partnership with the Sisters of Sion, is hosting two intensive residencies for Holocaust educators titled Transformative Learning through Holocaust Education. The first residency began on June 19th and continues through June 25th, and the second runs from June 26th through July 2nd. The small group sessions will be directed by Dr. Audrey Doetzel, NDS, director of Christian Jewish Relation and Encounter, and will be attended by 22 Holocaust educators from across the country, including several graduates of Seton Hill's Summer Institute at Yad Vashem in Israel.

"We are aware that this first generation of Holocaust educators, motivated by deep personal conviction and commitment, has helped to pioneer a very important field in Catholic education," said residency director Doetzel. Doetzel is a Sister of Our Lady of Sion in Brooklyn, NY, and has been Director of Christian-Jewish Relation and Encounter, a ministry of the Srs. of Sion in North America, since 1993. From 1996-2002 she was editor of the SIDIC Review, published by the International Jewish-Christian Documentation Service in Rome. She holds a Master of Divinity from the Toronto School of Theology and a Doctorate in Ministry from the University of Toronto. From 1985-1990 she was a faculty member in the Pastoral Department at Regis College of the Toronto School of Theology. With a background in education, theology, spirituality, leadership and administration, her work includes participation in the Christian-Jewish theological dialogue, Holocaust studies, speaking and writing. She is a member of the Advisory Committee on Catholic Jewish Relations for the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the US National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and of the Advisory Board for the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University.

During the residency, educators will participate in facilitated workshops on teaching the holocaust using Theological Reflection processes and Transformative Learning principles. The residencies are experience-based and self-directed, and will build on work already done by the attendees, including reading and reflection on topics in Holocaust education.

For more information on the Transformative Learning Residencies or the NCCHE, please contact Wilda Kaylor, at 724-830-1033, or visit www.setonhill.edu.