Introduction

Last spring, during our congregation’s general chapter, we made a commitment to "to walk together into a future of authentic intercultural living.”  

The concept of interculturality often raises more questions than it answers.  What does it mean? Why does it matter? And how do we get there 

—meaning how do we attune ourselves to living prophetically enough to provide a foundation for a world of flourishing for people of every culture, race, and creed? Indeed, how do we create a world that comes closer to the beloved kingdom Jesus proclaimed? 

About our guests

Jean-Jacques Pérennès is a Dominican friar and former director of the École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem (2015-2023). With over three decades of experience in the Arab world, he has taught at the University of Algiers and the Institut d’Études Politiques de Lyon. He also served as the director of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies in Cairo, Egypt, for 15 years. His areas of expertise encompass interreligious dialogue, the situation of Eastern Christians, and the history of the Dominican presence in the Muslim world. He held the positions of assistant to the Master of the Order for Apostolic Life from 1992 to 1998 and then as the provincial vicar of the Arab world for eight years. Jean-Jacques Pérennès has authored several biographies on Dominican friars in Muslim lands, notably on Pierre Claverie, Georges Anawati, Antonin Jaussen, Serge de Beaurecueil, and Roland de Vaux. He has also published “L’Orient des Prêcheurs,” a history of the Dominican Order in the Muslim world. His other publications include collective works on interreligious dialogue, Islamic culture, and Assyriology, as well as a monograph commemorating the centenary of the École Biblique et Archéologique de Jérusalem. Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, and the Gulf countries are among the regions he is particularly familiar with. 

Our host

Sister Beth Murphy, OP, is director of communication for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield. 

Takeaways

• Friendship, the support of a community, humility, and prayer are essential for a life of bridge-building across cultural divides. 
• Father Georges Anawati was called as an expert on interfaith dialogue during the Second Vatican Council, contributiong to Nostra Aetate, the declaration on interreligious dialogue. 
• We have much to learn from the immigrants who live among us when we approach their cultures with humility.

More to Explore 

Dominican Institue for Oriental Studies, Cairo 

Nostra Aetate: The relations of the Church to non-Christian Religions 

Listen to Fr. Jean-Jacques' English address at the Cairo book signing for his Arabic-language edition of Georges Anawati’s biography.