Reverend Donald Senior, C.P.--Escobedo Saint John’s Bible Lecture Series--2015

The Saint John’s Bible, the world’s newest handwritten, hand-illuminated, grand-scale bible, was commissioned in 1998 by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., and produced under the leadership of artistic director Donald Jackson, scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

It is the first such bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey since the advent of the printing press more than 550 years ago. The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition is a numbered, full-scale fine art reproduction of the original.

With the acquisition of the seven-volume The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition, St. Mary’s University has an extraordinary opportunity to emphasize its Catholic identity by enhancing its commitment to establish a Center for Catholic Studies, serving as its centerpiece and attracting the public to view The Heritage Edition and academics to conduct scholarly research.

The seven volumes of The Heritage Edition also serve as the foundation of the Escobedo Saint John’s Bible Lecture Series, an important offering to the San Antonio and South Texas communities, and will be integrated into coursework and other aspects of University life.

Thanks to a generous gift from Ruben (B.B.A. ’60) and Veronica Escobedo, the Escobedo Saint John’s Bible Lecture Series has allowed St. Mary’s to share the remarkable illuminated pages with members of the St. Mary’s community and of faith communities from across Texas. View the University calendar to find upcoming events.

At St. Mary’s, the volumes of The Heritage Edition have been in classrooms, at new student orientations, in campus liturgies, and at the Marianist Residence. Groups of faculty, students, parents, alumni and donors have marveled at the Bible during off-campus events at which The Heritage Edition was present.

The bible has also served as the inspiration for the University’s annual art auction called Let Their Be Light, which each year focuses on a particular theme highlighted in the beautiful artwork of The Saint John’s Bible.

For more information about The Heritage Edition at St. Mary’s University or to request a presentation to your parish, church, school, or belief community, contact Bob O’Connor, Ph.D., Director of The Saint John’s Bible Project at St. Mary’s.

For additional information on The Saint John’s Bible, visit saintjohnsbible.org.