James M. Barrens is the former Executive Director of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida. He is also the former Lead Organizer of Congregations United for Community Action, a St. Petersburg, Florida social justice organization comprised of thirty-seven diverse religious congregations, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Quaker, Unitarian-Universalist, Bahia, and others. Mr. Barrens, who is Roman Catholic, has been recognized by local and national media for having a unique and accessible yet scholarly perspective on Catholic-Jewish relations, as well as interfaith relations in general. He completed his undergraduate studies in Sociology at The American University in Washington, D.C., and his graduate studies in Theology at Saint Leo University. And, oh yes, his wife, Ruth, is Jewish!