***Shared on behalf of Fr. Kevin Zilverberg***
Dear brother priests, deacons, and seminarians of the Diocese of Sioux Falls,
This summer I will be moving to Salamanca, Spain, to teach at the Pontifical University of Salamanca (UPSA) during the fall semester. Since this is an unusual placement for a priest of our diocese, I welcomed Bishop DeGrood’s invitation to explain it to you myself.
I have been serving The Saint Paul Seminary at the University of St. Thomas since 2014, including three years of doctoral studies (2016-2019) in Sacred Scripture. Over the years, my duties and interests have shifted ever more toward the scholarly aspects of my work: research, publication, and teaching. Success in these areas has encouraged me to continue engaging biblical and theological scholarship at a high level.
With the support of Bishop DeGrood and the seminary, I spent last summer on a research fellowship in Munich, Germany, followed by a semester-long guest professorship in Jerusalem at the Dominicans’ École Biblique. There I had the privilege of teaching a doctoral-level course and co-hosting a day-long seminar to which I invited international scholars.
While in Jerusalem, a Spanish friend of mine put UPSA and me in contact, since he knew that they were looking to recruit a high-level biblical scholar. UPSA has about 4,500 students at their Salamanca campus, is owned by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, and offers pontifical degrees in theology (STB, STL, and STD). They have just over 100 students enrolled in those three degree programs, about 35 of which are in the doctoral program. Most of the theology doctoral candidates are priests who go on to be seminary professors. The UPSA theology faculty oversees about twenty affiliated theological centers in Spain and Portugal, including about ten seminaries. They also have a residence in Jerusalem for biblical research and archaeology.
In short, this is an opportunity for me to serve the Church at a higher scholarly level. The initial semester (Sept. 2023 – Jan. 2024) will be an opportunity for UPSA and me to assess whether I should stay in Salamanca, on a track toward becoming a professorial catedrático (chair). They would like me to focus on Pauline exegesis, so I will need to redirect my research and writing in this vein. If the initial semester goes well, I plan to spend some time doing Pauline research and publishing before returning to the classroom in 2024 or 2025. That will help me to establish the credibility needed to make myself available to direct doctoral dissertations in that field.
During the next school year (2023-2024), I will continue to direct Saint Paul Seminary Press from abroad and to hold my professorial rank at the University of St. Thomas.
Although I do hold Spanish citizenship and am moving to Spain, I remain, dear brothers, a priest from northern Hyde County (north of Holabird), incardinated in my home Diocese of Sioux Falls. It would mean a great deal to me if you would bless me with your prayers as I embark on this new mode of service. If you travel to Spain, I would be delighted to meet up with you in Salamanca.
Fraternally yours in Christ,
Fr. Kevin Zilverberg
Chris Motz | cmotz@sfcatholic.org