In junior year (1960-1961), our religion teacher Bro. Benedict (later Bro. James Fitzpatrick) made a strange decision: he would cover the first semester of our religion course in 3 weeks and spend the rest of the time teaching us the Old Testament. Little did I realize the impact this decision and its subsequent implementation would have on my life. Condensing the standard program in 3 weeks proved challenging but manageable. Then the fun began. Bro. Benedict approached the Bible in way I had never experienced before. No longer a treasure trove of fanciful stories (e.g. talking snakes and giant boats) or heroic ones (e.g. Moses, Samson, and David), the Bible suddenly became filled with stories, oracles, poems, prayers, and proverbs endowed with texture and substance, with baffling puzzles and irresolvable tensions.
In the second semester, Bro. Benedict continued the course correction: four weeks on the regular curriculum and the rest of the semester teaching the New Testament. Once again texts were seen with texture and complexity, with challenges and wisdom. And if that were not enough, the term paper topics proved stimulating; mine was “The Art of Excavating a Palestinian Tell.”
The Bible was never the same for me. After completing studies in philosophy and theology, I found myself enlisted by a group of interested adults to teach a course on Paul’s letter to the Romans. This effort was followed by others, which proved helpful to others but also revealed my need for more understanding of the scriptures. So I devoted two years to getting graduate degrees in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The summer between the two programs, I lived out my junior year term paper by participating in an archeological dig, exploring Tell el-Hesi in Israel.
As my professional life took root at McDonogh School as head of the Religious Studies Department, I offered “Biblical Literature” as a term elective for seniors. It would be taught for 33 years in the fall for seniors. I moonlighted as an adjunct at Notre Dame of Maryland and taught various courses in biblical studies, in one of which I met my future wife. One summer I was able to fulfil a long-held dream and went to Siena Italy to compose the course text for my Biblical Literature class, since I could find no text satisfactory for the course. I would use the text for eighteen years until I retired.
All these steps in a lifelong journey can be traced back to the first steps I took in junior religion class at Mount Saint Joe, thanks to an innovative, courageous, and challenging teacher, Bro. Benedict.
