Fr. Jaeger Education Series

Rev. David Jaeger

Ecumenical Education Series

SJN Council Recognized

Father David Jaeger presented a gold medal from the Pope on December 31, 2002 in recognition of our Council's efforts in promoting his presentations to the faith community.

Pictured are 2002 Grand Knight Vern Pohlmeier, Fr. David Jaeger, David Sekel (who coordinated the 2002 presentation), and Council Chaplain Msgr. Edward Jordan. Read more

The 2006 sessions were held July 27 and 28 at the First Baptist Church in Giddings. The topics included an update on the current situation in the Holy Land and an overview of the broader situation in the Middle East from the perspective of all children of Abraham (Christians, Jews and Muslims).

About last year's presentation Related article

Msgr. Edward Jordan, Fr. David Jaeger and Rev. Sue Wells at the 2004 presentation at the Westlake United Methodist Church.

About Fr. Jaeger

Rev. Fr. David-Maria Jaeger, O.F.M., J.C.D., is a former pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, Texas and served on the Tribunal for the Diocese of Austin. He is currently a member of the faculty at the Pontifical Athenaeum "Antonianum" in Rome and is a member of the Delegation of the Holy See on the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel.

Born of Jewish parents in Tel Aviv, Israel, Fr. Jaeger is the only native-born Israeli (“Sabra”) ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the world. He became a Christian in his late teens, converted to Catholicism, entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1986. He received his Doctorate in Canon Law (J.C.D.) in 1989. Fr. Jaeger is a member of several learned societies in his field, has published and lectured in canon law and on issues relating to Christianity, religion and state in the Holy Land, in Israel, Italy, Britain and the United States. His specialization is in Church-State relations, both in general and in the Holy Land specifically.

He is widely credited with being the principal drafter and lead negotiator, both of the 1993 Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel, and of the 1997 "Legal Personality Agreement" between the Holy See and the State of Israel. He is currently similarly engaged in negotiation between the Vatican and Israel on a third treaty, which is to settle, principally, the fiscal status of the Church and related matters. Fr. Jaeger helped arrange the Pope’s pilgrimage to Israel in 2000. In 2001, Fr. Jaeger was named as one of five members of the Franciscan Order’s Governing Body of the Custody of the Holy Land, which manages Christian interests there for the Vatican and the entire Church. As the custodian for the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Fr. Jaeger was instrumental in the negotiations to resolve the 2002 hostage standoff between the Palestinians and Israelis. Fr. Jaeger has been intimately involved in peace initiatives for Christians, Jews and Muslims in Israel for many years.(1) In recognition of his contributions, Fr. Jaeger received a gold Papal medal from Pope John Paul II in 2002, which he subsequently presented to St. John Neumann’s Monsignor Edward Jordan and the Knights of Columbus in recognition of their faithful support of Christian Unity and financial assistance to suffering Christians in the Holy Land. Read more..

This is the seventh year Fr. Jaeger returned to the Austin area to share his knowledge in an ecumenical setting.

In 2000, Fr, Jaeger presented “The Gospel in the Holy Land: Pope John Paul’s Pilgrimage” at the Westlake Bible Church.

In 2001, Fr. Jaeger presented two topics at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church: "The Gospel in the Holy Land: John Paul II’s Witness to Hope in Israel”, and “Christians in Dialog in the 21^st Century”, a discussion of such issues as the recent Lutheran-Catholic Accord, the Lutheran-Anglican Accord and other major milestones in the road to Christian unity.

In 2002, Fr. Jaeger continued his "Gospel in the Holy Land" reflections and presented Vatican II: An Ecumenical discussion of the Great Council” at Westlake Bible Church, which included a day-long seminar for clergy and religious educators.

In 2003 at St. John Neumann, Fr. Jaeger presented “Christian Life in the Holy Land Turmoil”, an update on the suffering Christians, striving for lasting peace and humanitarian existence, while living in the Holy Land, a region filled with never ending terror and turmoil. The following evening at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Fr. Jaeger presented “Vatican Dialogue with Anglican Communion” where he continued his reflections on Christian unity.

In 2004, Fr. Jaeger returned to our community to share two evenings of worship and knowledge in an ecumenical setting at the Westlake United Methodist Church. On August 12th, Fr. Jaeger presented an update on the Gospel in the Holy Land. On August 13th, Fr. Jaeger presented "Catholicism & Methodism: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism". We thank Rev. Sue Wells, the staff and community of the Westlake United Methodist Church for hosting the 2004 series and providing two evenings filled with Christian Community and Fellowship.

In 2005, Fr. Jaeger presented “Christian Life in the Holy Land Turmoil” and “Vatican Dialogue with Protestant Churches” on July 7 and 8 at the Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Giddings.

Our Council greatly appreciates your contributions to Fr. Jaeger's fund at the Franciscan Monastery to benefit the suffering Christians in the Holy Land.

Reference Materials for Fr. Jaeger's presentations:

Presentation Videos are available in the St. John Neumann Parish Library.

2004

Vatican Archives search on 'Methodist'

United Methodist-Catholic Dialogue

Methodism from the Catholic Encyclopedia

World Methodist Council

Roman Catholic/Methodist Conversations 1967-2001

Methodist Catholic Relations 2002

Current Status of Methodist-Catholic Relations

Teaching Authority Among Catholics And Methodists
Documentation of Christian Unity

Unity Statement
Finding the Brick Wall