University of IndianpolisOffice of University Relations (317) 788-32981400 East Hanna Avenue Fax (317) 788-3300Indianapolis, Indiana 46227-3697
For immediate release CONTACT: Cynthia SequinApril 18, 2001 (317) 788-3583 [email protected]
Middle East peace leader will be U of I commencement speaker
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Elias Chacour of Israel will be the keynote speaker at the 96th annual University of Indianapolis Commencement Ceremony, slated for Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m. in Nicoson Hall. Chacour, who is a Melkite Catholic priest, will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Jerry Israel, U of I president, during the ceremony.
Chacour is internationally recognized as a leader for peace in the Middle East through his lifelong efforts to promote education and understanding among diverse faiths. He founded the Mar Elias Educational Institution in Ibillin, Galilee, in 1983, which now serves more than 3,000 students. It is the only private interfaith educational institution in the history of Galilee where Christians, Moslems, Druze and Jews live and attend class together. The U of I and Mar Elias are exploring avenues of inter-institutional cooperation.
"Father Chacour is an international leader in promoting peace through education and understanding, and we are pleased he will address our graduating students and their families," Israel said. "He is a true example of someone who has overcome political, economic and cultural challenges and taken what he has learned to help and inspire others."
Chacour has traveled the world as an ambassador for non-violence, been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice and has received a number of international honors for his efforts to promote peaceful reconciliation between different faiths. In 1985 he received the World Methodist Peace Prize. Following the U of I commencement, he will travel to Japan to receive the 2001 Niwano Peace Prize in recognition of his contributions to world peace.
He was born in Biram in Upper Galilee to a Palestinian Christian family in 1939. At the age of eight, he, his family and everyone in their village were evicted from their homes, and he became a refugee in his own country. He and his family stayed in the area and were granted citizenship when the State of Israel was created in 1948.
Chacour completed elementary and secondary school in Israel and was sent by his church to the Sorbonne in Paris, where he earned degrees in theology and Bible studies. He was the first Arab student to receive a master's degree in Bible and Talmudic studies from the Hebrew University. In 1965, he was ordained a Melkite Catholic priest and was assigned to the small village of Ibillin, where he has chosen to remain.
The 61-year-old priest has written two books, Blood Brothers, which has been translated into 28 languages, and We Belong To The Land, which has been translated into 11 languages.
The U of I commencement will award more than 800 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, business, education, nursing and health sciences. This is the first year the university has awarded earned doctoral degrees.
The University of Indianapolis is a private, comprehensive institution of higher education founded in 1902 by what is now the United Methodist Church. The 4,000 students come from around the world to major in nearly 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. The university's credo of "Education for Service" emphasizes the development of ethical and moral values and their application in every career.
Web sites: University of Indianapolis home page: http://www.uindy.edu/
Mar Elias Educational Institutions home page: http://www.m-e-c.org/
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