Introducing Mark Logtenberg SJ

After waiting for more than year, I finally managed to arrive in the Holy Land to start my regency. My regency consists of teaching English at the University of Bethlehem and to be a chaplain to the Christian student body. This is an amazing opportunity that combines the pastoral with the academic and it gives me a great chance to grow in both. 

I was asked to introduce myself here, but maybe some of you might remember me. I joined our least Society in 2014 in Birmingham, England. I was born in the Netherlands and am part of the European Low Countries, the former Dutch province. It was, however, already during my novitiate that I was first sent to this part of the world. When I was a novice, I had the fortune to work with JRS in Beirut under the auspices of Michael Zammit SJ. After my novitiate, my provincial sent me to Fordham University in New York, and then to the University of Toronto in Canada to obtain a bachelors and a masters respectively in Middle Eastern Studies. During those years I had the fortune to spent two summers in this region. I spent the first in Jordan to work on my Arabic and the second again in Beirut to study colloquial Arabic and to work with the JRS school in Bourj Hammoud. After I finished my masters in Toronto, I was supposed to arrive in Bethlehem to start my regency. However, a global pandemic prevented me from travelling there. So, instead of starting my regency elsewhere, it was decided to start with a year of theology in Leuven. This allowed me to finished my first cycle in theology while waiting to travel to Palestine. Luckily that opportunity came last July.

I’ve spent just a few months here in Bethlehem and I feel privileged to be able to work here. I try to teach English to first year students which has it particular challenges. Most of the students, like elsewhere in the world, have spent most of the last two years online. This shows in their language skills and in their classroom behaviors. The other part of the job is to work with students and to help them grow in their faith. But before I can really start doing that, I feel that there is a steep learning curve to be had: I have to learn about and try to comprehend the complex situation in Palestine, the reality of Israeli occupation is felt deeply. At the same time, I have to grow accustomed to the local sensibilities and intricate relational dynamics of the West Bank. 

I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work and live here, and I look forward to the challenges it might bring.   

Mark Logtenberg SJ