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Leadership

The faculty and administrative staff of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute are a dedicated group of individuals from different national, religious and professional backgrounds. Together, they work with the leadership and team of Notre Dame Jerusalem to make the work of our institute possible.

Tantur Ecumenical Institute Leadership

  • Rev. John M. Paul, SJ

    Rector

    “Fr. JP”, is a member of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He was ordained in 1980 and has a Masters of Sacred Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California as well as a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre from The Catholic University in Washington DC. He has served as Director of Novices, Assistant Provincial, Director of Formation, and Provincial Assistant for Native Ministry in his years of internal governance within the Jesuits. He also has ministered with Native peoples on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota working as teacher, superior, president, and superintendent of schools at Red Cloud Indian School. Prior to coming to Tantur, he was at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a participant in Tantur’s 6-week program in 2013.

  • Nizar Halloun

    Program Director

    Mr. Nizar Halloun was born and raised in Jerusalem and has deep ties to the region. He holds a Bachelor's degree in French Linguistics and Interdisciplinary Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a Master's degree in Comparative Literature from the Sorbonne University in Paris, and is a licensed tour guide.

    With extensive experience in media and communications, Nizar spent several years working with the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land’s media departments. He has also been involved in microfinance projects, contributed to the development of local trails that promote cultural exchange and sustainable tourism by fostering immersive travel experiences that connect local communities with visitors through storytelling and hospitality.

    Fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Hebrew, his expertise includes Palestinian Christian affairs, alternative tourism, journalism, and photography.

  • Sr. Marie-Farouza Maximos

    Program Office Coordinator

    Sr. Marie-Farouza has been a consecrated sister of the Chemin Neuf Community for about 20 years. The Chemin Neuf Community, a Catholic community with an ecumenical charism and rooted in both Ignatian Spirituality and Charismatic Renewal, is committed to pray and work for Peace and Unity among Christians and between peoples.  Sr. Marie-Farouza has a Franco-Egyptian origin; she was born and raised in France and deeply love the diversity of her double ethnicity, spirituality (Coptic and Roman), and cultures. She holds a BA in Cultural Project Management, a Master in Fine Arts, in Near Eastern Languages and in Theology. She has formerly spent several years in the Holy Land working for formation with the Chemin Neuf Community and the Sisters of Sion. Among her ministries and interests, she is engaged in research in liturgies of the Eastern Churches but also in works of writing, drawing and photography.

  • Fr. Khaled Anatolios

    Senior Ecumenical Fellow

    Fr. Khaled Anatolios is the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and a priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. As Senior Ecumenical Fellow, he is charged with sponsoring academic activities, at both the University of Notre Dame and the Tantur Ecumenical Center, that contribute to the quest for Christian unity. Fr. Anatolios is a theologian who specializes in early Christian and eastern Christian theology. Among his many publications are Deification through the Cross: An Eastern Christian Theology of Salvation (Eerdmans, 2020); Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine (Baker Academic, 2011 & 2018); and Athanasius: The Coherence of his Thought (Routledge: 1998 & 2004). ​​​​​​