By Fr. Alain Marchadour, AA

(Fr. Alain Marchadour is an Assumptionist Scripture scholar who taught for many years at the Catholic University of Toulouse and served for 12 years as director of the Assumptionist shrine in Jerusalem, St. Peter-in-Gallicantu. He is the author of some ten books on the Bible, most notably a commentary on the Gospel of John, L’évangile de Jean.)

In October 1962 the Second Vatican Council had just begun. With other students of my generation, I was lucky enough to be there, a humble observer of an historic event in the life of the Church. I can still remember October 11, 1962 and that evening when John XXIII opened the Council.

For the first time in its history, APAC (the Asian pacific Augustinian Conference) has named a president who is not a member of the Order of St. Augustine. He is Fr. Bernard Holzer, an Assumptionist, who is currently the regional superior of the Philippines, the Superior General's delegate for the entire Asia mission. Fr. Bernard became the 14^th president of the Conference at its 11^th triennial convention held at the Villa Consuelo Retreat House, Novaliches, near Manila (the Philippines).

Bret D. Thomas, President and CEO of Bayard Inc. (USA), is pleased to announce the appointment of Therese L. Ratliff to the position of Publisher of Twenty-Third Publications, a leading publisher of books, multimedia, booklets, and resources serving the Catholic community in the United States. Therese will oversee the strategic growth of Twenty-Third Publications including the editorial, marketing, and sales departments.

For nearly 20 years, Ms. Ratliff was with Pauline Books & Media participating in content creation, new project initiatives, market development, and organizational re-dimensioning. Her experience in both the retail and the publishing sectors gives her a unique insight into the wide spectrum of Catholic perspectives today and the diverse needs of the contemporary Church. Ms. Ratliff holds degrees in Writing and Publishing, Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Theology and Education from Boston College.

- Would you share with us a bit of your family background and education?

– I was born in St. Petersburg, Florida into a Methodist family. From an early age I was active in my church and really got more involved in their youth program as I grew older. When it came time for me to decide on a college, I attended Washington/Lee in Virginia. It was there and through the influence of a biology teacher that I began my journey toward Catholicism.