Conference Presentation
Christian Pilgrimage and the Living Church: What Visitors Miss about Christians in the Holy Land
Speaker
The Very Rev'd Canon Richard Sewell
Date & Time
Wednesday, 27 January 2027
16:00–17:00 CET
Format
Live Online via Zoom
Contact
dean@sgcjerusalem.orgThe Very Rev'd Canon Richard Sewell
Dean
St George's College, Jerusalem
Residentiary Canon
St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem
Honorary Canon
Southwark Cathedral, Church of England
United Kingdom
Presentation Details
Wednesday, 27 January 2027
16:00–17:00 CET
Christians and Muslims in Israel — Facts, Myths and Lived Reality
Religion, Society & Interreligious Studies
International Academic Conference Series
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature
Belgrade, Serbia
Live online via Zoom
Academic and Ecclesiastical Profile
The Very Rev'd Canon Richard Sewell is Dean of St George's College in Jerusalem, the Anglican centre for pilgrimage, education, hospitality and reconciliation in the Holy Land.
In addition to serving as Dean of the College, he is a Residentiary Canon of St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem and an Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral in the Church of England.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Richard Sewell previously served as a priest in the Diocese of Southwark. Before moving to Jerusalem, he was Team Rector of Barnes Team Ministry, which comprises three churches in South West London.
He was ordained priest in 2003, on the Feast of St Francis. He trained for ministry at SEITE, now St Augustine's College, and studied Theology at the University of Birmingham, where he received his BA. He subsequently completed an MA in Biblical Studies at Heythrop College.
Professional and Ministerial Work
The Very Rev'd Canon Richard Sewell's professional work brings together biblical studies, Christian pilgrimage, ministerial formation, interfaith engagement, mission education and reconciliation in the Holy Land.
As Dean of St George's College in Jerusalem, he leads an Anglican institution dedicated to pilgrimage, education, hospitality and reconciliation. The College helps visitors engage with the biblical geography and religious history of the Holy Land while also encountering the contemporary communities that live there.
His work emphasises that pilgrimage should involve more than visiting historical and sacred sites. It should also include attentive engagement with the living Christian communities of Jerusalem and the wider Holy Land, as well as with the complex Jewish, Christian and Muslim realities of the region.
Biblical and Theological Education
Richard Sewell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from the University of Birmingham and a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Heythrop College.
He completed his ministerial formation at SEITE, now St Augustine's College, and was ordained to the priesthood in 2003 on the Feast of St Francis.
His academic formation in theology and biblical studies informs his work in pilgrimage education, Christian ministry and interpretation of the Holy Land's biblical and contemporary religious significance.
Leadership at St George's College Jerusalem
As Dean of St George's College Jerusalem, Richard Sewell contributes to the College's work as the Anglican Centre for Pilgrimage, Education, Hospitality and Reconciliation.
His responsibilities include:
- Leadership of the College and its educational mission
- Engagement with pilgrims, clergy and international visitors
- Interpretation of the biblical and contemporary Holy Land
- Encounter with local Christian communities
- Promotion of informed and responsible pilgrimage
- Support for hospitality, dialogue and reconciliation
- Connecting biblical study with the present-day realities of Jerusalem, Israel and Palestine
This work gives him direct experience of the questions addressed by his conference presentation: what pilgrims notice, what they overlook and how encounters with living Christian communities can transform their understanding of the Holy Land.
Interfaith and International Experience
Richard Sewell directed an interfaith project in East London for three years. This experience contributed to his practical engagement with religious diversity, dialogue and relations among communities of different faiths.
Before his ordination, he worked for the Anglican mission agency USPG as a mission educator. His responsibilities also included maintaining and developing the agency's relationships with churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
This international experience connected Christian mission education with questions of culture, religious plurality, local church life and relationships between Christian and Muslim communities.
Longstanding Connection with the Holy Land
Richard Sewell's connection with the Holy Land began in the 1980s, when he worked as a volunteer at the Church of Scotland Hospice in Tiberias, now known as The Scots Hotel.
This early experience preceded his later leadership in Jerusalem and contributed to his long-term engagement with the people, churches, religious traditions and lived realities of the region.
His present work combines this personal history with formal theological education, parish ministry, interfaith engagement and institutional leadership.
Parish and Cathedral Ministry
Before moving to Jerusalem, Richard Sewell served as a priest in the Diocese of Southwark in the United Kingdom.
His final position before taking up his role in Jerusalem was Team Rector of Barnes Team Ministry, comprising three churches in South West London.
In addition to his role as Dean of St George's College, he serves as:
- Residentiary Canon of St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem
- Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral
- Anglican priest engaged in pilgrimage, education and reconciliation
These roles connect parish ministry in the United Kingdom with cathedral life and international Christian service in Jerusalem.
Areas of Professional Expertise and Experience
- Christian pilgrimage in the Holy Land
- Biblical and theological education
- Biblical studies
- Anglican ministry
- Pilgrimage education
- Christianity in Jerusalem
- Living Christian communities of the Holy Land
- Interfaith engagement
- Jewish–Christian relations
- Christian–Muslim relations
- Mission education
- Parish and cathedral ministry
- Hospitality and reconciliation
- Israel and Palestine
- International church relations
- Interpretation of sacred places
- Contemporary religious life in Jerusalem
Public Engagement
Richard Sewell regularly contributes to public conversations, church forums, interviews, sermons and educational discussions concerning Jerusalem, pilgrimage, Christian life in the Holy Land, Israel and Palestine, reconciliation and the witness of local Christian communities.
His public work is directed toward helping international audiences understand that the Holy Land is not only a collection of biblical and historical locations but also the home of living communities whose voices and experiences should form an essential part of responsible pilgrimage and religious education.
Why His Perspective Matters
Richard Sewell brings together several forms of experience directly relevant to this conference:
- Formal education in theology and biblical studies
- More than two decades of ordained ministry
- Parish leadership in the Church of England
- Practical interfaith work
- International mission education
- Longstanding engagement with the Holy Land
- Institutional leadership in Jerusalem
- Direct contact with pilgrims and local Christian communities
His presentation offers an informed perspective on the difference between encountering the Holy Land as a collection of sacred sites and encountering it as a living religious and human environment.
Abstract
Speaker-provided abstract to be added.
Christian Pilgrimage and the Living Church
"Christian Pilgrimage and the Living Church: What Visitors Miss about Christians in the Holy Land" examines the relationship between pilgrimage, sacred places and the contemporary Christian communities that continue to live, worship and serve in the Holy Land.
International visitors frequently encounter the Holy Land primarily through biblical history, archaeology, monuments and sacred sites. This presentation draws attention to the living Christian presence that can remain overlooked when pilgrimage is approached only as a journey through the religious past.
The session places local Christian communities, their experiences and their contemporary witness within the wider context of pilgrimage, education, hospitality, reconciliation and interreligious relations.
Pilgrimage, Education and Reconciliation
St George's College Jerusalem describes its mission through pilgrimage, education, hospitality and reconciliation. Its programmes bring participants into contact not only with biblical and historical sites but also with the people and communities who inhabit the contemporary Holy Land.
Richard Sewell's work is situated at the intersection of Anglican ministry, pilgrimage, biblical study, interfaith engagement and the lived realities of Jerusalem.
Experience in the Holy Land and Interfaith Engagement
Richard Sewell's first experience of the Holy Land came during the 1980s, when he worked as a volunteer at the Church of Scotland Hospice in Tiberias, now The Scots Hotel.
He later directed an interfaith project in East London for three years. Before ordination, he also worked for the Anglican mission agency USPG as a mission educator, with additional responsibility for the organisation's relationships with churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
These experiences contribute to his engagement with pilgrimage, interfaith relations, Christian witness, mission, education and reconciliation.
Presentation Context
The presentation addresses questions including:
- What do pilgrims and international visitors commonly overlook about Christians living in the Holy Land?
- How can pilgrimage engage with living communities rather than only historical sites?
- What is the contemporary role of Christian institutions in Jerusalem?
- How do education, hospitality and encounter contribute to reconciliation?
- How are local Christian experiences shaped by the wider realities of Israel and Palestine?
- How can visitors listen more carefully to the diverse Christian voices of the region?
The presentation will be followed by questions and discussion with the international online audience.
Areas of Experience and Engagement
- Christian pilgrimage
- Christianity in the Holy Land
- Living Christian communities
- Jerusalem
- Anglican ministry
- Biblical studies
- Interfaith relations
- Jewish–Christian relations
- Christian–Muslim relations
- Israel and Palestine
- Education and hospitality
- Reconciliation and mission
- Local Christian witness
- St George's College Jerusalem
Education and Ministerial Formation
Master of Arts in Biblical Studies
Heythrop College, London, United Kingdom
Bachelor of Arts in Theology
University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Ministerial Formation
SEITE, now St Augustine's College, United Kingdom
Ordained to the Priesthood
Feast of St Francis, 2003
Current Ecclesiastical Roles
Dean
St George's College, Jerusalem
Residentiary Canon
St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem
Honorary Canon
Southwark Cathedral, Church of England, United Kingdom
Previous Ministry and Professional Experience
Before moving to Jerusalem, Richard Sewell served in the Diocese of Southwark and was Team Rector of Barnes Team Ministry, comprising three churches in South West London.
Before ordination, he worked for the Anglican mission agency USPG as a mission educator and held additional responsibility for relationships with churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
He also directed an interfaith project in East London for three years and previously volunteered at the Church of Scotland Hospice in Tiberias.
Official Profiles
Conference Participation
The Very Rev'd Canon Richard Sewell presents "Christian Pilgrimage and the Living Church: What Visitors Miss about Christians in the Holy Land" at the Religion, Society & Interreligious Studies International Academic Conference Series on Wednesday, 27 January 2027, from 16:00 to 17:00 CET.
The conference, "Christians and Muslims in Israel — Facts, Myths and Lived Reality," is organised by the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade, Serbia, and takes place live online via Zoom from 25 to 28 January 2027.
Keywords
Suggested Citation
Sewell, Richard. "Christian Pilgrimage and the Living Church: What Visitors Miss about Christians in the Holy Land." Presentation at Christians and Muslims in Israel — Facts, Myths and Lived Reality, Religion, Society & Interreligious Studies International Academic Conference Series, Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, 27 January 2027.
Attend Richard Sewell's Presentation
Join The Very Rev'd Canon Richard Sewell's live online presentation, "Christian Pilgrimage and the Living Church: What Visitors Miss about Christians in the Holy Land," on Wednesday, 27 January 2027, from 16:00 to 17:00 CET.