CROSS AND STAR OF DAVID In memoriam Sister Rose Thering, O.P., Ph.D. 1920-2006 Sr. Rose, you never "let go." Your spark continues to glow. You hold us in an embrace, An angel with a new face. In your earth's life span You sensed life; few of us can. Somewhere from a distant shore, Love radiates from you forevermore.

Sister Rose Thering, O.P., Ph.D.
1920-2006

Sister Rose Thering, a native of Plain, Wisconsin, entered the Dominican Order at 16 and became a leader among her peers even at that early age. After final vows, she taught in several Wisconsin schools, then did graduate work at Dominican College in Racine, Wisconsin before entering a doctoral program at St. Louis University.

Her scholary investigation into the most widely used catechetical materials led to her dissertation on Catholic teachings about Jews and Judaism, a seminal work that was taken to the Second Vatican Council and served as documentation for the 1965 Vatican document Nostra Aetate, which states clearly that the Jewish people are not to be held responsible for the death of Jesus.

What led this young woman from a strong Catholic family of 11 children on a path of writing, speaking and teaching about Jewish-Christian relations, activism in international organizations that promoted dialogue and study about the Holocaust, and a lifetime of achievements recognized throughout the United States and the international community? It had to be her inquiring mind, even from childhood, the development of a passionate care for all of God's children, and the commitment to end prejudice and intolerance.

Sister Rose spent more than 40 years at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N. J. speaking, developing programs, shepherding groups of religious and lay people to the Holy Land (where she traveled more than 54 times). The Sister Rose Thering Endowment for Holocaust and Jewish-Christian Studies honors her for her belief in the power of teachers to impart knowledge and understanding to young people.