DR. PETER WILLIAMSON
A Trajectory of Ascent,
a Circle Unbroken
Martha Demerly
A
s an archer must read
windage, so Dr. Peter
Williamson, himself an archer, has been reading the
winds of the Spirit throughout his lifetime. Guided by
the Spirit and aimed at sharing the gift of life-giving water, he has chosen a spiritual
trajectory.
It is no accident that Dr. Williamson
opted to become a professor of Sacred Scripture. This inclination was nurtured by his
parents: Robert, a Presbyterian minister, and
Beulah, who formed their family of six by
setting a path of appropriation of the grace
of Baptism, belief in the Word of God in
Sacred Scripture, and the Christian commission to preach the Gospel. This evangelical
spirit took earlier roots in the lives of Dr.
Williamson’s grandparents, Assembly of
God missionaries to Guangdong, China,
from 1917 to 1936. During this tumultuous
period, Dr. Williamson’s father was born.
Later, “much to the chagrin” of his grandfather, Robert converted to Calvinism, just
as Peter would later convert to Catholicism.
At the University of Michigan, Dr. Williamson eagerly entered into evangelical conversations. His friend and colleague, Paco
Gavrilides, instructor of homiletics at Sacred
Heart, recalls “Peter’s willingness and courage to speak of Christ, his respectful manner
and loving motivation.” There, guided by
the Spirit to belief in the authority of Sacred
Tradition, he became a Catholic and a member of the Word of God Community, an
ecumenical charismatic community based
in Ann Arbor, for which he has served as a
coordinator and a liaison with the bishop of
Lansing.
After graduation, Dr. Williamson owned
and sold two businesses before beginning
study at Sacred Heart, where he earned an
MA in Theology (New Testament) in 1995.
Then, his studies in Rome at the Pontifical
Gregorian University earned an STB, STL,
and, finally, an STD in Biblical Theology.
Dr. Williamson
now holds the
Adam Cardinal
Maida Chair in
Sacred Scripture.
“Heavenly
As he continues
Father,
to teach at Sacred Heart and
change me
abroad, he also
into that
directs students
which I
academically and
spiritually, inadore.”
cluding overseeing the monthly
Fellowship of St. Paul prayer gatherings and
the Life in the Spirit seminars the fellowship
sponsors.
Dr. Williamson’s work with Renewal
Ministries, founded by faculty colleague Dr.
Ralph Martin, has come to a full circle of
evangelical labor. Since 1993, he has taught
courses, coordinated evangelization with
clergy and laity, and led retreats in Lithuania, Kazakhstan, and China. In China,
he visited a small city in Quangdong where
his grandparents had established Christian
communities. Hoping to find a remnant
after so many years, he and his guide went
“down by the river” one evening and found
about 120 Christians who belong to a community numbering 1,000 worshipping in
secret. The circle is unbroken.
In his missionary work and in his latest
undertaking, editing the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Dr. Williamson’s
wife, Marsha Daigle-Williamson, is both
partner and supporter. During his writing of
the latest contribution to this series, Revelation, she offered gentle exhortation to “finish lest the descent of the new Jerusalem precede its publication.” This series, which he
co-edits with Sacred Heart’s Dr. Mary Healy
and Associate Editor Kevin Perotta, is characterized by writing that is scholarly, popular,
and pastoral. As editors who share the opinion that “Iron strengthens iron” (Prv 27:17),
they require a rigorous approach, obliging
authors to revise their manuscripts in light
of extensive comments.
Peter Williamson stands firm in the path
his family has set, and he aspires to the rising
trajectory of life in the Spirit. He expresses
these aspirations through this heartfelt
prayer in his commentary on St. Paul’s letter
to the Ephesians: “Heavenly Father, change
me into that which I adore. Let me be completely filled with your divine life to the extent of your infinite fullness.”
Martha Demerly holds an MA in Theology
from Sacred Heart. She is involved in the Faith
Formation and Women’s Ministry in her parish,
St. Thomas More, in Troy, Michigan.
shms.edu
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