Fr. Dale Launderville elected President of Catholic Biblical Association

      Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary is pleased to announce that Fr. Dale Launderville was elected President of the Catholic Biblical Association at its annual meeting July 28-31, 2018, at Regis University in Denver. The term is for one calendar year. In 2017-18, Fr. Dale served as Vice President. 

      The Catholic Biblical Association (CBA) is an 80-year-old organization whose purpose is the promotion of scholarly interpretation of Scripture and research in related fields. Established in 1936 by Bishop Edwin O’Hara to improve the quality of the New Testament translation of the Latin Vulgate in use by the Catholic Church at that time, the CBA continues to play an important role in the translation of the New American Bible (first edition in 1970, revised New Testament in 1991, and revised Old Testament in 2010). However, the primary focus of the CBA is its assistance to biblical scholars in their research and professional development. The CBA coordinates an annual international meeting in July-August, and a few regional meetings throughout the year. The organization also publishes the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, a leading scholarly journal in the field of biblical studies. In addition, the CBA provides research grants to young biblical scholars and helps to fund archaeological digs.

      With over 1,200 full and associate members spread throughout the world, some of whom are members of other faiths, the CBA promotes critical biblical scholarship within the framework of the Catholic biblical tradition. The CBA collaborates with organizations, such as the Society of Biblical Literature (founded in 1880), who are committed to keeping the biblical message accessible and credible within contemporary American culture. 

      Fr. Dale has been a member of the Catholic Biblical Association since 1983, serving in various capacities including membership on the editorial committee charged with revising the translation of the Old Testament of the New American Bible. He also served as Book Review Editor for the Catholic Biblical Quarterly from 2003 to 2008. Fr. Dale notes that the duties associated with the position of CBA President are manageable and should harmonize well with his responsibilities as Dean of the School of Theology and Seminary. 

      Fr. Dale is grateful to the membership of the CBA for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. He notes that it is humbling to serve in a position held by many highly accomplished biblical scholars, including Sr. Irene Nowell, a Benedictine of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, and former visiting professor at Saint John's, who served as CBA President in 2006-07. 

           We congratulate Fr. Dale on his election and wish him well in the coming year.