Gary Allen of the Newberg Graphic announces a new chapel at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. As the new chapel is unveiled, its Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible will have a new home in the “space of meaning and genuine connection.”
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University cites The Saint John’s Bible as a marker of its entrepreneurial spirit while celebrating three alumni who earned Entrepreneur of the Year Awards from the McNeely Center.
St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, Wales celebrated the gift of a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in a September 2024 blog post. The Cathedral cites its enthusiasm to share the Bible with the community through retreats, educational visits, workshops, and making the Bible available for use with other churches, ministry areas, and cathedrals.
Read the full announcement here.
The Courier Times announces an October 26, 2024 event in which a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible will be open and available for public viewing in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Fr. Eric Hollas, OSB of Saint John’s Abbey reflects on his experience bringing a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible to St Davids Cathedral (Wales) alongside a small group of others from Saint John’s University in a recent blog post. “I never imagined myself standing in Saint David’s in Wales,” wrote Fr. Hollas. “Its site on the Atlantic coast is hauntingly beautiful, and better still, the Spirit of God seems to be stirring there.”
Becky Hotchin announces that St Davids Cathedral has received the gift of a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in the regional newspaper covering Pembrokeshire and bordering Carmarthenshire,Western Telegraph. It is the only Heritage Edition in Wales, home of Donald and Mabel Jackson, to whom this set is dedicated.
Mitchell Republic, a daily newspaper published in South Dakota, published a press release announcing the extraordinary and rare gift of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition to Dakota Wesleyan University in the fall of 2024.
Read the full article here, or here.
“At Dakota Wesleyan University, we have long been a community rooted in the values of learning, leadership, faith, and service,” wrote Dan Kittle in an opinion piece for the Mitchell Republic. “These values guide our mission and our vision of challenging students and one another to lead lives of meaning and purpose. On October 9, 2024, we took another bold step in living out that vision, accepting an extraordinary gift that we are honored to share with everyone: The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition.”
In an article dated October 5, 2024, Dakota News Now announced that Dakota Wesleyan University’s accepted the gift of a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. The University has robust plans for students, faculty, and community members at large to experience and use the Heritage Edition.
“In his Rule, Saint Benedict devoted a chapter on monks who go on a journey. Still, he could never anticipate the sort of baggage that Abbot John Klassen and Prior Eric Hollas traveled with on two successive trips to England,” wrote Prior Eric Hollas, OSB in a recent post published to the Saint John’s Abbey blog. The post highlights The Saint John’s Bible 25th Anniversary Dedication Tour which took editions of the work and its creators across the United Kingdom.
The South Dakota-based radio station, KMIT 105.9, recently celebrated Dakota Wesleyan University alumnus Paul Christen’s gift of a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible to the University. The gift was made in honor of Christen’s late wife, Donna Christen. He also donated a copy of Donna’s personal bible along with the Heritage Edition.
In an article for the Catholic Sun based in Phoenix, Arizona, Tony Gutiérez celebrates 10 years of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, affectionately known as the Casa. He points to the favorite illumination of star docent Marge Woods, the Raising of Lazarus, which she believes captures the profundity and introspection sparked by a near-death experience.
In a recent blog article published by the University of Dayton’s Marian Library, Professor Katy Kelly tells the story of how 91 individual donors contributed gifts between $10 and $25,000 to help the Library purchase a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. As Kelly writes, the collective truly did enhance the collection.
The Mountaineer, a publication based in North Carolina, celebrated Grace Church in Waynesville, NC’s exhibition of 20 gallery-sized prints of The Saint John’s Bible in a recent article. The exhibition will be open to the public until Sept. 22, 2024.
The Heritage Program’s very own Meghan Stretar had the chance to join Nicolas Vergier, IFCU Partnerships Manager and Carolyn Pirtle, Program Director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, for a webinar hosted by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) titled “A Conversation with a Saint John’s Bible Steward.” Together, they discuss how the University of Notre Dame has used the Heritage Edition to ignite the spiritual imaginations of and foster deep connections among students, faculty, children, and the community of South Bend, IN.
“It’s amazing the kind of questions and comments that an encounter with the illuminations will prompt,” said Pirtle.
Abbot Douglas Mullin has been elected the eleventh Abbot Saint John’s Abbey, where he will continue serving the Church and Saint John’s community. He succeeds Abbot John Klassen, OSB. Mullin’s strong commitment to faith and education has guided him throughout his life. His appointment comes after working within the community for many years, including serving in positions at Saint John’s Preparatory School, the College of Saint Benedict, and Saint John’s University.
Read more about the appointment of Abbot Douglas Mullin here.
St. John’s Norway Anglican Church, located in Toronto’s Beaches neighborhood started its year off by welcoming the sixth volume of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition into its community. This volume contains the Gospels and is read from, and displayed, every Sunday at the faith community’s 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. services through May 2024.
Read more about St. John’s Norway in the article published to Beach Metro Community News.
One volume of The Saint John’s Bible is always on display in the Hutchins Library foyer at Berea College, located in Berea, Kentucky, about 45 miles south of Lexington. This year, throughout the month of February, the library, in association with Berea College’s Special Collections and Archives and the Campus Christian Center, invites the local community to view all seven-volumes as part of its “Friday Finds” special events program. Since acquiring the Heritage Edition in 2016, Hutchins Library is the only institution in the state of Kentucky where The Saint John’s Bible can be viewed. On Fridays from 3pm to 4pm, tours are free and open to the public to see the masterpiece that is The Saint John’s Bible.
Learn more about the event in the article published to the Richmond (Ky.) Register here.
The Saint John’s Bible was featured on a PBS NewsHour story that told the tale of the project’s creation, and now, its life. As the first handwritten manuscript crafted since the invention of the printing press, The Saint John’s Bible unites people of all faith journeys with its immaculate artistry and painstaking craft.
The Church Times, a weekly newspaper based in London, England, sat down with Donald Jackson, creative director of The Saint John’s Bible to discuss attending art school starting at just 13 years old, referencing contemporary life in The Saint John’s Bible, the greatest aim of any calligrapher, and more.
Salisbury Journal reported on Sarum College’s recent invitation to the public to view its newly acquired edition of the first handwritten and illuminated Bible created in hundreds of years, the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible.
“In our digital world where we can carry the Bible on our mobile phones, we do well to acknowledge the ongoing significance of the physical text,” said Professor James Woodward, principal of Sarum College. “Books remain an important part of our search for truth.”
In a recent article, the Church Times, based in London, England, told a photo story of the 25th Anniversary Dedication Tour, in which several institutions across the United Kingdom were gifted editions of The Saint John’s Bible.
Listen to Father David of OLV Charities in Lackawanna, New York in conversation with Rev. Dr. John F. Ross, Executive Director of the Heritage Program, on the November 2023 episode of the OLV podcast. The pair discuss how they’ve seen The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition impact those who’ve experienced it, what to expect when The Saint John’s Bible exhibit kicks off at the OLV National Shrine & Basilica on Dec. 3, and even The Reverend’s first interaction with The Saint John’s Bible.
Only 12 Apostles Edition sets of The Saint John’s Bible exist.
And it’s only fitting that one should reside in the United Kingdom, the nation in which the project was conceived and principally created.
That is now the case after Wednesday when an Apostles Edition was presented to The Most Reverend Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on behalf of the Church of England during a burnishing ceremony and prayer service held at the Lambeth Palace Library in London.
Watch WCCO’s segment on The Saint John’s Bible 25th Anniversary Dedication Tour featuring Executive Director of the Heritage Program Rev. Dr. John F. Ross.
It’s been 25 years since St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., commissioned the first handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible since the invention of the printing press.
To commemorate the anniversary, St. John’s is presenting rare reproductions of the tome to institutions in the Church of England.
Read the full article by Kirsti Mahron here.
Sarum College in Salisbury is the first stop in a week-long series of national events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Saint John’s Bible, the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery since the invention of the printing press in the 15th century.
Read the full news release here.
The Episcopal News Service reported on the Washington National Cathedral’s reception of a rare Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in an article written by Shireen Korkzan on October 16, 2023.
In an article published by KNSI Radio on October 18th, 2023, Jennifer Lewerenz reports on the Washington National Cathedral’s “historic” acquisition of an Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, the first handwritten bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in more than 500 years.
Washington National Cathedral welcomes an Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in an online news post published on October 9, 2023. “The Saint John’s Bible is a testament to the enduring power of faith and art that invites us to explore the sacred in new ways,” said Dean Hollerith in the announcement. “We are deeply honored to receive this extraordinary work of sacred art and Scripture, and hope it will serve as a profound source of inspiration for our community and visitors alike.”
In an article published by The Washington Times on October 19, 2023, Mark A. Kellner highlights the gift of one of only 12 existing Apostles Edition sets of The Saint John’s Bible, received by the Washington National Cathedral.
Pax Christi Catholic Community in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is currently hosting one volume of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. Enamored with the golden, technicolored beauty of the Heritage Edition – a fine arts edition of the original manuscript – Pax Christi has incorporated the volume into its worship services. After arriving at the church back in November 2022, the volume also has been at the center of visiting events put on for the community to enjoy through mid-November of this year.
Starting on May 31, Pax Christi plans on hosting weekly Visio Divina sessions on Wednesday evenings. “We’re going to take 13 different illuminations, and we’re going to read the scripture from it, then look at the image and talk about what we see, how is this speaking to us, and just have conversation together around it,” said parish director Carl Bishop. “That’s also open to anybody who would want to be here.”
In Colorado Springs, Colorado, Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church is set to obtain its illuminated, seven-volume Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, according to the daily newspaper, The Colorado Springs Gazette. This summer, Saint Michael’s will hold visiting appointments for the display of the Gospels and Acts volume of the work, complete with trained ambassadors to provide valuable insight and context to visitors. In the fall of this year, the church will have the complete set of volumes, thanks to generous donors.
The National Episcopal Church Women (ECW) – a ministry of the Episcopal Church that champions women’s rights – shared their appreciation of The Saint John’s Bible and its depictions of feminine wisdom in theology. The ECW highlights the feminine nature of Wisdom in Volume III of the Heritage Edition, using the piece of art titled Wisdom Woman as the cover of a recent issue of their magazine, Communiqué.
Azusa Pacific University’s Libraries will display a special collections exhibit entitled Advent Voices: Waiting Between Time for the Star of the East. “The goal is to provide a space for people to come in and reflect on Advent and perhaps glean insight from the voices of those who spoke from that time period” says Luba V. Zakharov, the University’s librarian and Advent series curator.
The Berea College Hutchins Library’s Special Collections and Archives and the Campus Christian Center are offering the public an opportunity to take a close look at the College’s Heritage Edition of the Saint John’s Bible, Set 111. [This is] an inductive experience and a good opportunity to show one of the great treasures on our campus” says Tim Binkley, head of Special Collections and Archives.
First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska will host the local debut of The Saint John’s Bible and two volumes, Gospel & Acts and Pentateuch, will be publicly displayed during “The Majesty of the Bible,” event created for the church and the community.
Rev. Dr. John Ross who will speak at the event on October 19, 2022 expects people to be “fascinated by the creative process and inspired by the ultimate outcome of the first handwritten, illuminated, monumental Bible since the invention of the printing press.”
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Essex, Connecticut recently welcomed a volume of The Saint John’s Bible that they will use to inspire the spiritual imaginations of their congregation until August 2023.
The church intends to incorporate The Bible over the coming year into its internal programming and community outreach.
At the back of every Heritage Edition, you’ll find a name in small print: Roswell Bookbinding. “For us, it’s the job of a lifetime,” says president Mike Roswell. “Literally.”
The Waco, TX university’s acquisition “offers a unique opportunity for the Baylor Libraries to become part of a select group of institutions that will preserve this treasure for decades to come.”
What to expect during your visit to The Saint John’s Bible Gallery on the Saint John’s University campus.