Sister Rose Thering
Encyclopedia
Sister Rose Thering, O.P.
, (August 9, 1920 in Plain, Wisconsin
– May 6, 2006 in Racine, Wisconsin
) was a Roman Catholic Dominican
Religious Sister, who gained note as an activist against antisemitism, educator and a professor of Catholic-Jewish dialogue at Seton Hall University
in New Jersey
.
Rose Elizabeth Thering was born in Plain, Wisconsin
, the sixth of 11 children in a German-American farm family that prayed together daily. She entered St. Catherine of Siena Convent of the Racine Dominican Sisters
in Racine, Wisconsin
at age 16. After taking her permanent vows in the Congregation, she earned a bachelor's degree from Dominican College in Racine in 1953, then a master's degree from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1957 and, finally a doctorate at Saint Louis University
four years later.
Her doctoral dissertation at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University concerned the treatment of Jews in Catholic textbooks. She was shocked by her findings. The film, Sister Rose's Passion, depicts her recalling how she "almost got ill" reading texts that were used across the country to educate school children. Her work was published later in an anthology, Faith and Prejudice.
In 1962, when Pope John XXIII
convened the Second Vatican Council
, Cardinal Augustin Bea
used Thering's study to draft portions of the 1965 Vatican II document “Nostra Aetate
” (“In Our Age”), which declared of Christ's death that “what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today”. As regading how this issue was to be handled in catechetical instruction, it added, “The Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God.”
As Sr. Rose recalled later, “They were 15 lines in Latin, but they changed everything..
In 1974, Thering presented a menorah to Pope Paul VI
at the Vatican. In 1986, she went to Austria
to protest the inauguration of President Kurt Waldheim
, the former U.N. secretary-general, who had served in a Nazi army unit implicated in the deportation of Jews from Greece
during World War II
. In 1987, she went to the Soviet Union
to protest the government's treatment of Russian Jews.
At Seton Hall, where she joined the faculty in 1968, she established workshops on Judaism
for church leaders and teachers, and led student groups on 54 tours of Israel
. Following her teaching career, she was named Professor Emerita at Seton Hall. As a member of a Commission appointed by Gov. Thomas Kean
, she helped write a 1994 law mandating the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide in all elementary and high schools in New Jersey.
Late in life, Thering remained an active and vigorous opponent of antisemitism. She died, aged 85, from kidney failure in 2006 at her motherhouse
in Racine, Wisconsin. In her honor, Alan Brill was appointed as the Ross/Cooperman Endowed Professor in honor of Sister Rose Thering, a chair
in the Department of Jewish-Christian Studies. A film about her activism, Sister Rose's Passion was made in 2004. It was nominated for an Academy Award.
On the film, The Passion of the Christ
:
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, (August 9, 1920 in Plain, Wisconsin
Plain, Wisconsin
Plain is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 792 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plain is located at ....
– May 6, 2006 in Racine, Wisconsin
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
) was a Roman Catholic Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
Religious Sister, who gained note as an activist against antisemitism, educator and a professor of Catholic-Jewish dialogue at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Rose Elizabeth Thering was born in Plain, Wisconsin
Plain, Wisconsin
Plain is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 792 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plain is located at ....
, the sixth of 11 children in a German-American farm family that prayed together daily. She entered St. Catherine of Siena Convent of the Racine Dominican Sisters
Racine Dominican Sisters
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Dominic of St. Catherine of Siena is a Catholic religious order for women.The order was founded in 1862 in Racine, Wisconsin in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.The mother house is in Racine...
in Racine, Wisconsin
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
at age 16. After taking her permanent vows in the Congregation, she earned a bachelor's degree from Dominican College in Racine in 1953, then a master's degree from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1957 and, finally a doctorate at Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
four years later.
Her doctoral dissertation at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University concerned the treatment of Jews in Catholic textbooks. She was shocked by her findings. The film, Sister Rose's Passion, depicts her recalling how she "almost got ill" reading texts that were used across the country to educate school children. Her work was published later in an anthology, Faith and Prejudice.
In 1962, when Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
convened the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, Cardinal Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea, SJ was a German scholar at the Gregorian University specializing in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He was confessor of Pope Pius XII. In 1959, Pope John XXIII made him cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first President of the Secretariat for Promoting...
used Thering's study to draft portions of the 1965 Vatican II document “Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
” (“In Our Age”), which declared of Christ's death that “what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today”. As regading how this issue was to be handled in catechetical instruction, it added, “The Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God.”
As Sr. Rose recalled later, “They were 15 lines in Latin, but they changed everything..
In 1974, Thering presented a menorah to Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
at the Vatican. In 1986, she went to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to protest the inauguration of President Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
, the former U.N. secretary-general, who had served in a Nazi army unit implicated in the deportation of Jews from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1987, she went to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to protest the government's treatment of Russian Jews.
At Seton Hall, where she joined the faculty in 1968, she established workshops on Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
for church leaders and teachers, and led student groups on 54 tours of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Following her teaching career, she was named Professor Emerita at Seton Hall. As a member of a Commission appointed by Gov. Thomas Kean
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Kean is best known globally, however, for his 2002 appointment as Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the...
, she helped write a 1994 law mandating the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide in all elementary and high schools in New Jersey.
Late in life, Thering remained an active and vigorous opponent of antisemitism. She died, aged 85, from kidney failure in 2006 at her motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
in Racine, Wisconsin. In her honor, Alan Brill was appointed as the Ross/Cooperman Endowed Professor in honor of Sister Rose Thering, a chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
in the Department of Jewish-Christian Studies. A film about her activism, Sister Rose's Passion was made in 2004. It was nominated for an Academy Award.
Quotes
I know the power of teachers. It is my deepest wish that teachers in our public and parochial schools, with scholarship assistance, will be able to enroll in Jewish-Christian studies at Seton Hall University to stem the tide of ignorance in our schools and in society.
To be a better Christian you need to find out where you are rooted. Take a good look at Judaism. Our roots are in Judaism. Jewish people have much to teach us. We must learn from our elder brothers and sisters. Read one of Elie Wiesel's books—if you've read Night, read it again. You will find things in there that you didn't understand. Begin with the Hebrew Scriptures, the First Testament. Read a little bit each day, if possible.
On the film, The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
:
In that film there is so much hatred, so much violence you almost forgot what Jesus did. Jesus should have been dead by the time he got to the cross with all that they did to him. In that film you see little Jewish boys turned into devils, and the Jews were all wearing prayer shawls. The whole thing was made as if the Jews killed Jesus, and Pilate came off a saint.