2019 AGM - Walsh University

Report of the Eighty-second International Meeting of the Catholic Biblical Association of America

 Program      Abstracts

The eighty-second international meeting of the Catholic Biblical Association of America was held July 27-30 at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. The meeting began on Saturday, July 27, with a welcome from Christopher Seeman on behalf of Walsh University. The opening general session was a panel discussion entitled “Biblical Perspectives on Responding to the Clerical Sexual Abuse Scandal” featuring Gary A. Anderson, Francis, J. Moloney, S.D., Anathea Portier-Young, and Gina Hens-Piazza. The address was followed by a social.

Sessions on Sunday, July 28th

Five task forces and five continuing seminars met simultaneously each day from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

The Task Forces included: “Addressing Representations of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Exegesis, Homiletics, and Catechesis” (co-conveners: John Clabeaux and Christopher Seeman; core group members in attendance: Ximena DeBroeck, Todd Hanneken, Linda Harrington, Anathea Portier-Young,
Roberto Martinez, Eileen Schuller, O.S.U., Gregory Tatum, O.P.); “Feminist Biblical Hermeneutics” (co-conveners: Ahida Calderón Pilarski and Lai Ling Ngan; core group members in attendance: Carol Dempsey,O.P., Susan Elliott, Florence Gillman, Laura Manzo, Sheila McGinn, Barbara Reid, O.P.); “God in Paul’s Letters” (co-conveners: Robert O'Toole, S.J. and Timothy Milinovich; core group members in attendance: Mary T. Brien, P.B.V.M., Nélida Naveros Córdova, C.D.P., John L. Gillman, Mark J. Goodwin, John G. Lodge, Elliott C. Maloney, O.S.B., Larry David McCormick, Maria Pascuzzi, C.S.J., Mark P. Reasoner); “Hermeneutics: A Thematic Investigation” (convener: Michael Patella, O.S.B.; core group members in attendance: Richard Bautch, James Okoye, Gina Hens-Piazza, David Penchansky, Antonio Portalatin, Jean-François Racine, Andrea Spatafora, Peter Spitaler); “God in the Synoptic Gospels” (co-conveners: Séamus G. O’Connell and Brigid Curtin Frein; core group members in attendance: Charles Bobertz, Timothy R. Carmody, Richard Dillon, Roberto Martinez, Mary Anne Stachow, S.B.S., Benedict Viviano, Patricia Walters).

The Continuing Seminars and their respective leaders studied: “Divinity in Ancient Israel: Deuteronomistic Deities in Judges and Samuel” (Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, Andrew Davis, and Garrett Galvin, O.F.M.); “Ambiguities, Anomalies, and Aporias in the Gospel of John” (Peter Judge and Mark A. Matson); “The Deuterocanonical Books” (Jeremy Corley and Vincent Skemp) “Paul within Antiquity” (Michael P. Barber and Brant J. Pitre); and “Hebrew Poetry Seminar” (Joseph E. Jensen and Pauline A. Viviano).

The morning concluded with papers presented in simultaneous sessions: Mark S. Smith, “Judges and Historiography” and Florence Gillman, “Paul and the Thessalonians Who Abandoned Their Idols.”

Four sessions of Research Reports during the afternoon heard the following papers delivered: Andrew R. Davis, “Disability and Advocacy in the Book of Job”; Timothy M. Willis presented John T. Willis’ paper , “Jeremiah's Portrayal of Sin as Trusting in Untrustworthy People and Things’; Christian Gers-Uphaus-- [NT Emerging Scholar], “Reading Resurrection in the First Century – Traditio-Historical Thoughts on 1 Cor 15”; Mark C. Kiley, “Basar and Mebasereth in the Fourth Gospel”; Nelida Naveros Cordova, C.D.P., ”From Philo of Alexandria’s ‘Moderation’ to Paul’s ‘Solution’ to the Problem of Sinful Passions”; Ki-Eun Jang [OT Emerging Scholar] ‘Saul’s Israel and the ‘Hebrews’: Identity Politics in 1 Samuel 13-14”; David A. Bosworth, “The Role of the Natural World in the Divine-Human Relationship in Isaiah 1–39”; Harry Hagan, O.S.B. “Divorce and Remarriage: The Unforgivable Sin?”;  Najeeb T. Haddad, “Satan, Not Augustus, is the God of this Age (2 Cor 4:4)”; James W. Barker, “Reinscribing the Old Latin Diatessaron”; Lourdes García Ureña, “Ps 68.14 – a Golden Dove?: An  Answer Based on Cognitive Linguistics”; Vincent Skemp, “Endurance in Suffering on the Path to Virtue in 4 Maccabees”; Toan Do, “Paul, a Witness (?) to Jesus’ Family”; Barbara E. Reid, O.P., “Women Disciples and the Gospel of Luke”; Michael L. Rapp, “The Curious Reception of Parresia in Early NT Versions”; Anathea Portier-Young, “Terror, Tears, and Wonder: The Prophet’s Embodied Affect”; Mark A. Awabdy, “Reading Job’s Prologue Against Leviticus 8–10”; Thomas Esposito, O.Cist., “Another Look at the Gospel Genre Question”; Timothy Millinovich, “Start at the End: Rhetorical Peroratio in the Structure of Romans”; Gregory Yuri Glazov, “A Survey of Scriptural Citations in Jewish Theological Reflections on the Holocaust.”

The Association gathered in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel for the Sunday celebration of Eucharist with Dale Launderville, O.S.B. presiding. Members of the association who died since the last meeting were commemorated during the liturgy: Alexander A. Di Lella, O.F.M., Michael Ignatius Glazier, Gerald Neil Knoppers, Marilyn Schaub, Lorenzo A. Tosco, C.S.J. Most Reverend John Michael Botean, Bishop of the Romanian Rite diocese of Bishop of Saint George’s in Canton, was an invited guest for the Eucharist and evening’s program.

The evening concluded with the CBA President’s Address, “Ezekiel’s Priestly Imaginary: A Symbolic or Idolatrous Reality?” delivered by Dale Launderville, O.S.B. The address was followed by a social.

Sessions on Monday, July 28th

Felix Just, S.J. was the presider and homilist for the 7:00 A.M. celebration of Eucharist.

The task forces and continuing seminars resumed their work in the morning, followed by simultaneous sessions: “The ‘Beauty of Created Things’ in the Wisdom of Solomon” delivered by Karina Martin Hogan and “Family and Empire in the Shepherd of Hermas” presented by Susan Elliott.

Two sessions of research reports during the afternoon heard the following papers delivered: Andrew T. Glicksman, “ Wisdom and Spirit in the Wisdom of Solomon”; Luke Emiehiele Ijezie, “The Identity of the Medium of Endor in 1 Samuel 28”; Mark Reasoner, “Paul and the Merit of the Fathers”; Todd Hanneken with Vanessa Cypert, “Pneumatology in Early Christian Scribal Practices”; Kelley Coblentz Bautch, “Royal Women, Women Regents, and 1 Maccabees”; Francis M. Macatangay, “Traditions on Abraham in Tobit”; Daniel L. Smith, “Eschatic Manna in John, Paul, and Revelation”; Charles A. Bobertz, “Boat Travel in the Narrative Construction of the Gospel of Mark”; Michael Ufok Udoekpo, “Becoming A Church-Family that Witnesses the Gospel to All: An Intertextual Study of Luke 3:4-6 and Isaiah 40:4-5.”

Business Meeting

The CBA President and Chair of the Business Meeting, Dale Launderville, O.S.B., called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm having established a quorum (97 full members present with 79 required for the quorum). He called for a moment of silence for members who had passed away since the last meeting. Starting with the In Memoriam, a PowerPoint slides accompanied each point of the meeting.

• The Executive Director’s Report was given by Joseph C. Atkinson. In presenting a summary of the year 2018-19, he identified five critical areas of assessment: administration, membership, annual general meeting, publications, and finances.
  
  • Administration: Atkinson noted that in the past six years nearly every aspect of the Association has been changed. Beginning with the new Constitution and By-Laws, the CBA leadership has set out to modernize and bring best practices to bear on the administration of the office and Association. The issues pertaining to the infrastructure have been identified; solutions have been introduced, tested and modified. In December 2018, Violet Halton retired. Bookkeeping services are now being provided by Dawn Brown. The subscription services and publication printing have been given over to Johns Hopkins University Press and CUA Press. The CBA Office is now focused on membership services, which still includes a subscription to The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. The new membership management software is fully integrated with the accounting software. It also permits the Office to handle the annual general meeting registration. With all the money from registration, rooms, and meals going through the system, the Office has better control over the registration data. He suggested that the infrastructure changes will be completed by the end of the year.
    
    The Executive Director observed that the federal and local rules and regulations pertaining to the governance of non-profit associations have been becoming increasingly complex. He reported that the CBA is in compliance with government non-profit corporate regulations having updated its Letters of Incorporation; resolved the District of Columbia corporate status; secured the CBA’s inclusion in the Official Catholic Directory through which the Association derives its non-profit status; determined that CBA’s legal relationship to the IRS 990 form. All of this is important not only good governance, but also for future fundraising efforts. Currently, the Association has no policy on Professional Conduct. The CBA is working with the lawyer that assisted in constructing the policy for The Society of Biblical Literature.
    
    
  • Membership: With the new association membership system, CBA can track membership better. The breakdown of those members who are currently paid up is 729 Full Members, 229 Associate Members, 20 Life Members. This year there are 34 applying for Full Member status, 7 for Associate Member status. The Graduate Student category, proposed by John Endres, S.J., has been very successful with 44 students applying for membership in this, its first year. Of concern is the number of members who are inactive. Atkinson requested that suggestions on how to reach out to inactive members should be directed to the CBA Office or to any of the Executive Board members.
    
    
  • Annual General Meeting: Starting next year, CBA will begin the 3-host cycle where there will be only three host sites: Catholic University of American in Washington, DC, Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. Next year’s meeting will be at CUA; work already is underway with CUA Conference Services. Negotiations have begun with Creighton University which is beginning to consider long-term contracts. An initial contact has been made with Santa Clara University and we are awaiting their reply. It should be noted that as semesters are beginning earlier in August, the CBA meeting likely be held during the last week of July more frequently.
    
    
  • Publications: Beginning in January 2019, CUA Press has been coordinating printing and distribution of the CBA journals. The delay in the shipping of the first issues of CBQ and OTA was not due to the CBA Office. The membership mailing list was transferred within the specified timeframe. The delay was due to the difficulty in obtaining renewals from EBSCO, the subscription agency that handles many library and institution accounts. CBA has urged that the members receive their CBQ issues in a timely manner. In addition, the OTA cover changed, but it will return to the previous color scheme in the next years.
    
    The CBA in partnership with Paulist Press, has initiated a series entitled, Biblical Studies from The Catholic Biblical Association of America. The series takes its inspiration from the French series Cahiers Évangile, combining careful exegesis with a theological understanding of the text. Invitations to contribute to these volumes have been issued to a wide variety of CBA members. The first three volumes are scheduled for publication in 2020: Biblical Theology: The New Testament by Frank J. Matera; The Gospel Landscape: Exploring the Geography of the Gospels and Acts by Donald Senior, C.P., and The Johannine Circle:  John 1-3 by Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B. CBA members interested in contributing to the series may find the guidelines on the CBA website and may contact the Editor: Frank J. Matera, or one of the Associate Editors: Richard Bautch, José Enrique Aguilar Chiu, Angela Kim Harkins, Peter Spitaler.
    
    
  • Finances: The Executive Director reported that the CBA finances are in good shape. The new accounting software permits new ways and categories for reporting more clearly the financial status of CBA. The Committee on Finance and Investment is working with the bookkeeper, Dawn Brown, in identifying the best categories for reporting so that future planning can be facilitated. Atkinson also noted that there was a bequest received from Marilyn Schaub, an act of generosity that is greatly appreciated.

In conclusion, Atkinson offered thanks to the membership, so many who are generous with time and contributions; to Walsh University, in particular Chis Seeman and his mother who came just at the right time to help with registration; to Lisa Tarker who is a tremendous asset working in a whirlwind of change; to the Executive Committee – Dale Launderville, O.S.B. and Harold W. Attridge, Jr., a small committee that is very important for providing quick feedback in its advisory capacity; and to the Executive Board, the members of which have done tremendous work and research, listening to one another and providing effective, wise leadership for the Association.

The report ended with a quote from Isaiah, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” Dale Launderville then thanked Atkinson for his work, recognizing that he does the legwork of the Association. John Meier moved and Timothy Carmody seconded that the Executive Director’s Report be accepted. The motion carried in a unanimous voice vote.

• In the absence of the Committee of Finance and Investment Chair, Harold W. Attridge, Jr. presented the report on finances. Attridge stated that 2019 fiscal year was one that saw the UBS account values increased to $12,275,143, over $1,000,000 increase from last year’s report. The portfolio is diversified enough (currently 66% equities, 27% fixed income & 7 % cash) to have fared well despite the volatility of the market. The UBS investments returned 8.27% for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2019.
  
  Upon arrival for the Business Meeting, members receive a copy of the Profit/Loss Statement for July 2018-June 2019. The post also includes the Balance Statement for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2019.  In reviewing the Balance Statement projected on the PowerPoint, Attridge noted that as of June 30th, the CBA total assets stood at $13,167,970.58. The liabilities, such as deferred income from the annual general meeting, were all anticipated. The liabilities totaled $71,176.88.
  
  Attridge concluded by remarking that in addition to the budget and investments, the Committee had been tasked with developing a job description for the Executive Director and to make recommendations regarding criteria for a reduced rate for retired members.
  
  With no questions or discussion, Chris Seeman moved and Michael Simone, S.J. seconded that the Financial Report be accepted. In a unanimous voice vote, the motion carried.
  
  
• Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M., the General Editor of The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, was recognized to present his report.  . He began with noting transitions. First, he thanked Jeremy Corley and David Aune for their outstanding service as associate editors. Their second consecutive terms conclude on December 31, 2019. Dennis Hamm, S.J. and Normand R. Bonneau, O.M.I have elected not to take on a second term.
  
  Hoppe then reported that his second consecutive term as General Editor will end on December 31, 2020. A new General Editor will be chosen by the CBQ Editorial Board for a four-year term (renewable once) to begin on January 1, 2021. The editorial board has established a committee to solicit applications for a new General Editor: Wendy Cotter, C.S.J., Mark S. Smith, Sherri Brown, and Corrine Carvalho. Click here for the call for applications. The members of the committee will evaluate applications and make a recommendation to the full editorial board. The new General Editor will be elected during the 2020 meeting of the editorial board. The name of the new General Editor will be announced during the 2020 meeting of the CBA membership.
  
  The CBQ General Editor’s report continued with some statistics pertaining to article submissions and acceptances. Over seven years, there has been a slight increase in the number of submissions. Hoppe noted that people want to be included in the journal. There also has an increase in the number of articles accepted. A few years ago, he recalled that he was concerned that there were only four articles on hand for the October issue. Members are encouraged to have their work published in the journal. Members of the Editorial Board are doing a good job of reviewing and giving feedback. The feedback is much appreciated by authors, even by those whose articles have been rejected.
  
  In addition to the out-going members of the editorial board, Leslie Hoppe offered thanks to Dr. Maurya Horgan, the Copy Editor, and Christopher T. Begg, the Managing Editor. Their service ensures that the journal appears on time and as error-free as possible.
  
  Gregory Tatum, O.P. moved and Peter S. Williamson seconded that the report be accepted. The motion carried in a unanimous voice vote.
  
  The floor was opened for questions and discussion. Linda Maloney questioned as to why the numbers in the presented statistics did not add up. She observed that the number of accepted and rejected does not add up to the number of submissions. Leslie Hoppe responded that the acceptance and rejections do not necessarily take place in the same year as the submission. Linda Maloney asked if it would not make more sense to track the submissions and present the statistics in a way that the numbers add up. The response was that it would be left for the next General Editor to decide on how to present the statistics.
  
  Associate Editors: With permission of the President, Leslie Hoppe presented as a slate the following names as associate editors: Andrew Davis and Ahida Calderon Pilarski for a second consecutive term; John Gillman, Mahri S. Leonard-Fleckman, David M. Moffit, Andrea Spatafora, M.S.F., and Molly M. Zahn for a first term. On behalf of the CBQ Editorial Board, the General Editor moved that the associate editors be approved. In a unanimous voice vote, the motion carried.

• In the absence of Christopher T. Begg, Joseph E. Jensen was recognized to present the report of the General Editor of Old Testament Abstracts. The February and June 2019 issues of OTA have appeared.  They contain a total of 1,480 article and 153 book abstracts.  The October 2019 is in production and should appear before the end of the year. A motion to accept the report was introduced by Harry Hagan, O.S.B. and was seconded by Thomas McCreesh, O.P. The motion carried in a unanimous voice vote.
  
  
• Richard J. Bautch presented his report as General Editor of the CBQ Monograph Series. He noted that two monographs are to be published this year: Hearing Revelation 1-3: Listening with Greek Rhetoric and Culture by Jerome Neyrey, S. J., will appear as CBQMS 56, and “Your God is a Devouring Fire”: Fire as a Motif of Divine Presence and Agency in the Hebrew Bible by Michael Simone, S. J., will be CBQMS 57. Both books are announced in the next seasonal catalog of the CUA Press (in print and online). In addition, three other books are in process and will be published either next year or the following year. Additionally, two manuscripts were received in the past year. Both are in the review process.
  
  The General Editor reported that last autumn, the CBA Executive Board approved a proposal for CBQMS manuscripts to receive enhanced copyediting and proofreading by the typesetters, Maurya Horgan and Paul Kobelski of the The HK Scriptorium Inc., He indicated that this copyediting and proofreading service is currently part of the CBQ’s production. As a result, the monographs will mirror the articles in CBQ as there will be uniform copyediting/proofreading across the CBA’s publications.
  
  George Montague moved that the report be accepted. Mark Smith seconded the motion. In a unanimous voice vote, the motion carried.
  
  
• The report of the Committee on Membership was presented by Joseph C. Atkinson who moved that the following individuals be approved for membership into The Catholic Biblical Association of America at their respective levels with all the inherent benefits:

For Full Membership

Jeffrey G. Audirsch, Katherine E. Brown, Jose A. Caballero, Dexter E. Callender, Jr., Victor M. Cancino, Kevin M. Clarke, Jeffrey Leo Cooley, Sonya S. Cronin, Ximena DeBroeck, Anthony Giambrone, Brandon R. Grafius, Najeeb T. Haddad, Nina Sophie Heereman, Steven A. Hunt, Joshua W. Jipp, Michael P. Kochenash, Hyun-Mi Lee, Dan A. Machiela, Amanda Mbuvi Ibitolu Jerome Megbelayin, Matthew S. Monnig, James E. Nati, Brant J. Pitre, James P. Platania, James B. Prothro, Dempsey J. Rosales Acosta, Charles K. Samson, Anthony P. SooHoo, Paul J. Sander, Wojciech Maciej Stabryła, Michael J. Stahl, Brittany E. Wilson, Burkard Maria. Zapff, and Kevin Zilverberg.

For Associate Membership

Juanito B. Cena, Samuel Brice Higginbotham, Fidel Kiala Buloki, Jayson Orsini-Baez, John R. Seraphine, Jan Jacek Stefanów, and Pawel C. Jamroz.

For Graduate Student Membership

David P. Alcorn, Berliana Ali, Patrick Joseph Angiolillo, Carlos M. Aoun, Peter D. Beckman, Abigail L. Bodeau, Christina L. Bryant, Kathryn T. Carroll, Yongli Chen, Cynthia I. Cheshire, Patrick A. Conlin, Joseph J. Cross, Vanessa L. Cypert, William W. Eckert, Anna C. Gheen, Sharon M. Gutkowski, Chauncey D.F. Handy, William A. Hardin, Jr., Bassey B. Hogan, Ki-Eun Jang, Robert H. Keeringham, Eunjin Ko, Paul E. Kohlmeier, Aleksander Krogevoll, Rachel Krohn, Jose G. Mattei, Israel N. McGrew, Alexandria N. Morrison, Geoffrey L. Ng, Taiye Anthony Obada, Laurent Okitakatshi Odjango, Nicole Imelda O’Riordan, Kevin P. Pease, Ransom W. Portis, Joseph A. Quinn, Morgan D. Reed, Kyle A. Rouse, Alejandro A. Salazar, Michael J. Seufert, Brian T. Shockey, Augustin Some, Jordan C. Stanley, Fasil A. Woldemariam, and Michelle E. Yu.

The floor was open for questions. There being none, the candidates were accepted by unanimous voice vote. After the vote, Atkinson recognized the two Emerging Scholars Fellows for this year, Christian Gers-Uphaus and Ki-Eun Jang.

• As Chair, Harry P. Nasuti presented the report of the Committee on Nominations. He thanked the CBA members for their suggestions in the two surveys. Nasuti indicated that a request for submissions will be sent out soon after the conclusion of the annual general meeting while members still have fresh memories of those they encountered.

  • Executive Board

    The following officers were unanimously approved by the CBA membership through verbal votes: Gina Hens-Piazza for President of CBA (2019-2020), Ronald D. Witherup, P.S.S. for Vice-President of CBA (2019-20), Kelley Coblentz Bautch and Karina Martin Hogan for Consultors of the Executive Board (2019-21), and Christopher T. Begg for General Editor of Old Testament Abstracts (2018-2022).
    
    

  • Standing Committees

    Through unanimous voice votes, the following were approved for committee membership Carol Dempsey, O.P and  Katherine Hayes on Nominations (2019-22), Toan Do (second term; 2019-2022), Laura Manzo (2019-2022), and Deena Grant (2019-2021) on Program for the Annual General Meeting; Jean-François Racine and Anathea Portier-Young on Research Support; Michael Azar, Todd R. Hanneken, and John Kaltner (each for a second term; 2019-2021) on Technology and Outreach.
    
    
• In the absence of the Chair, Gregory E. Sterling, the report of the Committee of Research Support was presented by Maria Pascuzzi, C.S.J. The Committee has been involved in the first stage of the CCD Grants for the Promotion of Biblical Scholarship and Biblical Literacy, making recommendations to a three-person committee of bishops who make the final decisions. Since 2017, there have been five rounds of grants. In that time, the Committee has received and reviewed 43 applications, recommended 18 applications to the CCD, of which, the bishops have funded 15. The total amount of grants awarded in that time period  has been $261,739.50. There is a total of $140,981.27 remaining in the grant fund that will carry over to the next round of grants.
  
  Beginning this year, the Committee also is reviewing applications for Travel Grants. The Committee vetted five applications and recommended four; the fifth was not recommended because the candidate did not meet the qualifications. A total of $2,000 was awarded in Travel Grants.
  
  The report indicated that the Committee Chair has been trying to meet with the bishops on the committee that administers the CCD grants. Two attempts were thwarted by unavoidable difficulties. The report continued with recommendations: 1. It is important for CBA to develop a budget that will allow for the ongoing support of research in the CBA past the five years of this funding (2017-2021). 2. The Committee urges the Executive Board to consider new sources of revenue to continue grant funding. 3. The grant funding should not have the same restrictions as those imposed by the bishops.
  
  The floor was opened for discussion and questions. Discussion focused on the importance of feedback to applicants whose proposals have been rejected and support for the Committee’s recommendations. Another concern raised was that the Committee by nature of its name (Research Support) may have been favoring academic over pastoral proposals. Members of the Committees countered that the Committee reviews each proposal and makes its recommendations according to the guidelines. Mary Elizabeth Sperry reported that there are three cycles remaining with an additional $200-225,000 forthcoming for grants,
  
  Peter J. Judge moved and Peter S. Williamson seconded that the report be accepted. In a voice vote, the motion carried.

New Business

• CBA By-Law Amendment
  Ballots were distributed to 97 Full members as they entered the room for the Business Meeting. The President noted that Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M., as CBQ General Editor, would present the motion to amend the CBA By-Laws. The rationale, he stated, is one of simple mathematics, the number of article submissions varies, and eight Associate Editors may not suffice to review the submissions in a timely manner. Some flexibility in the number of Associate Editors is warranted in accordance with the fluctuation of submissions. Hoppe noted that the proposed amendment was the addition of one word – “normally.” He then presented the following for vote by ballot: “The Full Members of the CBA move that By-Law 3.5.8 be amended to read ‘At each annual general meeting normally eight Associate Editors of the CBQ...’”
  
  The floor was opened for discussion and questions. There being none, the President called for the vote to be taken, noting that Section 2 of Article IX of the CBA Constitution calls for “majority vote of the Full Members present and voting at the annual general meeting” for a By-Law amendment to pass. The motion carried with 91 approving the motion, 3 rejecting the motion, and 3 abstentions.
  
  
• Retired Members: The President noted that the Executive Board has proposed a new dues category for retired members. The reduced rate of $20 would entitle the member to the same privileges of the category the member had when retired, with access to online CBQ rather than the printed journal since the membership dues do not totally cover the cost of production of the journal. Discussion focused on whether other members would prefer to not receive the online journal. The Executive Director suggested that the CBA Office send out a survey to membership asking if they were interested in opting out of receiving the printed journal.
  
  Harry Hagan, O.S.B. moved that the CBA adopt a new dues category for retired members. Peter Spitaler seconded the motion. The motion passed in a unanimous voice vote.

• As Chair of the Committee on Resolutions, Harold W. Attridge, Jr. announced that the Committee had doubled its work this year. He introduced two resolutions, each accepted by unanimous voice vote. The first was also met with applause: Be it resolved that George Montague, Society of Mary, is to be honored for participating in the annual meeting in his ninetieth year (his birthday is earlier this month) and for most of those ninety years spent in service to the Catholic Biblical Association, including terms as president and editor of CBQ, and service to Catholic biblical scholarship, including many books on the New Testament for scholarly and popular audiences, as well as service to teaching, the Society of Mary, and the Church. 
  
  The second resolution read: Whereas our host, Walsh University, has provided a warm welcome and gracious hospitality to the members of the Catholic Biblical Association on the occasion of its 82nd meeting, be it resolved that the Association shall express our profound thanks and deep appreciation to Walsh University and to all of their staff.

After the announcement of housekeeping items, John P. Meier moved, and Gregory Tatum, O.P. seconded that the meeting be adjourned. In a unanimous voice vote, the meeting was adjourned at 5:03 p.m.

Before dinner, a prayer service “In Honor of St. Martha” was led by Patricia Walters including a reflection by Sandra M. Schneiders, I.H.M. that was presented by Mary Ann Stachow, S.B.S.[DJA1] 

The general session in the evening was a panel discussion entitled “Biblical Scholarship in Latin America: Celebrating Eighty Years of Revista Bíblica” with Ahida Calderón Pilarski and Jean-Pierre Ruiz as panelists. The evening concluded with a social.

Sessions on Tuesday, July 30th

Michael Patella, O.S.B. was the principal celebrant and homilist for the 7:00 a.m. Eucharistic liturgy.

The task forces and continuing seminars met in the first part of the morning. The meeting concluded with a general session address by Brigid Curtin Frein, “Jesus as Provocateur in Luke's Gospel.”

The following CBA members and invited guests were in attendance at the meeting:

Dr. Joseph C. Atkinson
CBA Executive Director

Lisa A. Tarker
CBA Executive Assistant
Recording Secretary