Fisher, Eugene J.

Eugene Fisher earned his doctorate at New York University in Hebrew Culture and Education, 1976. His doctoral thesis was: 'The Treatment of Jews and Judaism in Current Roman Catholic Teaching'. Until 1977, Dr. Fisher was Director of Catechist Formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as well as adjunct professor of Sacred Scripture at St. John's Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan, and for the Religious Studies department of the University of Detroit. Dr. Fisher was appointed to his present post as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relations of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) in May of 1977. He succeeded Father Edward H. Flannery, who had held the post since its establishment in 1968 as part of the NCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. In 1981 he was named Consultor to the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews. He is one of nine Consultors to the Vatican Commission worldwide and one of two Americans. He is also a member of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee representing the Holy See. He has lectured widely throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In 1995, a book he co-edited with Rabbi Leon Klenicki, John Paul II, Spiritual Pilgrimage: Texts on Jews and Judaism (Crossroad) won the National Jewish Book Award in the Jewish-Christian Relations category. He has published some 20 books and over 250 articles in the field of Jewish-Christian relations.