Dr. Mellie’s Support of the Jesuit mission

Dr. Mellie Brodeth brought her Teresian Association spiritual life and work ethic to the Pontifical Biblical Institute last March. The Teresian Association is an international lay ecclesial community, founded by Saint Pedro Poveda in 1911, in Covadonga, Asturias (Spain).  St. Pedro Poveda, a martyr during the Spanish Civil War, wanted the laity to bring faith, human development, and social development to the world each day.

Dr. Mellie Brodeth in the library

After graduating from the University of Santo Tomas (Philippines), Mellie arrived in the Holy Land in the early 1970s as a Teresian.  She helped establish a reading club and library in Nazareth in 1972, and later returned to the Philippines to study library science and to teach.  She also completed Teresian formation in Spain and Italy.  In the 1980s, the Teresian leadership assigned her to work at Bethlehem University.  Completing a doctorate in Educational Management at Sheffield University, England, she worked in the Bethlehem University Development Office and then as Director of the Library through the years 1999 to 2020.

Fr. David Neuhaus, SJ and Mellie (now retired from the University) have worked together for many years to support the Catholic migrant community in the Holy Land.  The Latin Patriarchate estimates that there are between 30,000 and 40,000 Filipino migrants in Israel.  Along with fellow Teresians, she helps prepare migrants for the sacraments, leads prayer groups, and organizes pilgrimages.

Fr. David asked Mellie whether she would be willing to volunteer a few hours a week in the PBI library to prevent the descent into chaos during the COVID19 pandemic as the former librarian had left the country and piles of unclassified books were expanding fast. Mellie responded with characteristic generosity and is now working with Fr. Josef Briffa, the Director of PBI in Jerusalem, to create a directory to help the library users locate the many scholarly, research-oriented journals and books in the collection.  Her first task was orientating herself in the library and now she is “double-checking” the “cardex” with the journal collection.  God bless you Mellie for your past and present work.  Thank you for your spiritual and intellectual investment at PBI.