King’s College President Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Ph.D., joined other local religious leaders in celebrating Rev. Russ McDougall, C.S.C., the college’s former assistant director of campus ministry who was recently appointed by Pope Leo XIV to serve the Vatican’s ecumenism and interfaith dialogue efforts.
On July 3, McDougall was named a consultor of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, which works to foster an authentic ecumenical spirit throughout the Catholic church and strengthen relationships and collaboration with other churches and ecclesial communities.
“Father Russ’ appointment to the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity is an outstanding accomplishment,” Looney said. “When he first came to us at King’s after serving as the rector of Notre Dame’s Ecumenical Institute in Tantur, he was passionate about continuing his work in building bridges across differences. His outstanding work here at King’s and in the Wyoming Valley led to a major position at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., and now in service of the Universal Church.”
During his tenure at King’s College from 2019 through 2023, McDougall furthered the institution’s ecumenical and interfaith efforts by building relationships between local congregations and organizations. He served as a member of the Wyoming Valley Interfaith Council, convened ecumenical conversations, promoted events related to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and regularly participated in worship services at local churches and synagogues.
“In his own quiet, thoughtful, and prayerful way, Father Russ has demonstrated well his capacity as an informed ecumenist, an experienced leader, and a priest committed to fulfilling Jesus’ prayer that his followers might all be one,” said The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton. “He has earned the respect and appreciation not only of his Catholic colleagues but of our ecumenical and interreligious partners, particularly during unsettled and challenging times for many of our brothers and sisters of different faith traditions. He will undoubtedly serve our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and our Church well.”
McDougall was executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Previously, he was assistant director of campus ministry, theology faculty member, and superior of the local Holy Cross community at King’s College.
In addition to being a former rector of the University of Notre Dame’s Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, Father McDougall also worked in parochial ministry at Holy Cross Parish in Nairobi, Kenya, and as formation director, academic dean, and lecturer in Old Testament at the Queen of Apostles Philosophy Centre in Jinja, Uganda.
Originally from Northwest Indiana, McDougall received his B.A. and M.Div. from the University of Notre Dame and S.S.L. from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He made final vows in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1990 and was ordained a priest in 1991.