2026 Eternal Light Award Dinner

Reflections on the Challenge and Promise of Catholic-Jewish Relations Today

Join us for an evening of reflection on the challege and promise of Catholic-Jewish relations today. We will recognize positive developments in Catholic-Jewish dialogue and consider the challenges in the work ahead.

Sunday, November 15, 2026 | 5:15 - 8:00 p.m.
Higgins Hall at St. Lawrence Catholic Church
5225 N Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33614

4:30 - 5:15 p.m. Major Donors Reception
    5:15 - 6:00 p.m. General Reception
    6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Dinner and Program

Speakers:

Reverend Dr. Dennis McManus

Eternal Light Award Recipient and Keynote Speaker

Rev. Dr. Dennis McManus is an American Catholic priest whose work has focused on Catholic–Jewish relations, the history of anti-Judaism in Christianity, and the theological and liturgical implications of Nostra Aetate. He is professor of theology at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California. Since 2009 he has served as Delegate for Jewish Affairs for the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). From 2012 to 2021 he was Visiting Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University, where he remains Senior Research Fellow in the Office of the President. Within the USCCB, McManus has served as staff secretary for multiple official Catholic–Jewish dialogues, including those with the National Council of Synagogues, the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinic Council of America, and Modern Orthodox rabbis and scholars. Select publications include “The Unfinished Reforms of Nostra Aetate: Five Areas for Further Consideration” (2017), “Sustaining a Quiet Revolution: Popes and Jews since the Shoah” (2024), and "Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: An Essential Process of Catholic Self-Understanding" (2025).

With Comments by:

Dr. Shirra Billet

Dr. Shira Billet is assistant professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics at JTS, academic director of JTS’s Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice, and the BA and MA advisor for the Jewish Ethics program at JTS. Before joining the JTS faculty, she was a postdoctoral associate in Jewish Studies and Philosophy at Yale University, after completing her PhD in the Religion and Philosophy (Religion, Ethics, and Politics) subfield in the Department of Religion at Princeton University. Dr. Billet’s research focuses on Jewish philosophy and Jewish thought, especially in 19th- and early 20th-century Germany and Europe. She studies Jewish philosophy in its historical contexts — including the history of philosophy and the history of Jewish studies scholarship — and in relation to contemporary conversations in Jewish thought, philosophy, and religious studies. She is currently completing her first book, entitled The Philosopher as Witness: Hermann Cohen on the Virtues and the History of Philosophy. Recent publications include “From Volozhin to London: Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s Jewish-Christian Holy Spirit” (Journal of Textual Reasoning, 2025), and “Harry S. Truman’s Bible and Earl Warren’s Talmud: A Forgotten Story in the Encounter between American Law and Jewish Studies” (Diné Israel, 2024).

Event Co-Chairs:

Jeffrey Berger

Co-President of the Tampa JCCs and Federation

Fr. Curtis V. Carro

Pastor of St. Raphael

Please RSVP by Friday, October 30, 2026

Sponsorship Opportunities

Your generous support of the CCJS provides interreligious
education for students and community members and
advances scholarship in Catholic-Jewish relations.

View Sponsorship Levels - PDF

The deadline to be included in the event program booklet is Thursday, October 15, 2026. If you are interested in sponsoring a table for this event, please complete the form below:

Visionary - $10,000

• Seating for 20 (2 tables of 10)
• Recognition in digital invitation
• Verbal recognition during program
• Recognition in the presentation slideshow
• Social media recognition
• Recognition in program booklet
• Special sponsor appreciation gift
• Meet & greet with keynote speaker/respondent

Leader - $5,000

• Seating for 10 (1 table)
• Verbal recognition during program
• Recognition in the presentation slideshow
• Recognition in program booklet
• Special sponsor appreciation gift
• Meet & greet with keynote speaker/respondent

Table Sponsor - $2,500

• Seating for 10 (1 table)
• Recognition in the presentation slideshow
• Recognition in program booklet
• Special sponsor appreciation gift

Note To Our Table Sponsors

Thank you for your sponsorship of the Eternal Light Award Dinner.

Laurie Silverman Gens, CCJS Administrator of Program and Events, will reach out to each sponsor regarding your guests' names and their meal selections.

Please contact Laurie at laurie.gens@saintleo.edu with any questions.

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