Our History

The Brennan Goldman Institute was launched on June 21, 2006 at a luncheon held at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry, its first home. The Institute came about through a generous gift from the Jane Napier Family to further “the historic process of reconciliation and growth in mutual understanding and friendship between Catholics and Jews” by providing “a sound and lasting basis for the continuing development of our present and future relations, and for the furtherance of the many tasks which we face in common.”

The formation of the Brennan Goldman Institute was preceded by a long and extensive legacy of dialogue between the Jewish and Catholic communities in Rochester. This legacy was represented and deepened by The Rochester Agreement, a document co-signed by the Rochester Board of Rabbis, the Jewish Community Federation of Rochester, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester in 1996. Throughout the rich history of Jewish-Catholic relationships in Rochester, many leaders emerged over the course of time. Father Joseph Brennan and Isobel Goldman had become leading figures in the Catholic and Jewish communities, and because of this Mrs. Napier designated that the Institute should bear their names, carrying their ministries into the future.

A Steering Committee was immediately formed to help plan develop a vision and begin planning events for the Brennan Goldman Institute. Examples include: the premier of the opera Passagio Protetto was attended by the communities with a dinner and discussion held afterwards. The Anti-Defamation League from New York City offered a week-long workshop for teachers from around New York Stateon forming curricula for teaching matters related to the Holocaust. An annual lecture in honor of Father Joseph Brennan was established at St. Mary’s Parish in downtown Rochester. A book-sharing project was initiated between a local Rochester Catholic school and a school in Modi’in Israel. Bishop Matthew Clark spent an evening answering questions about Catholicism and Catholic Bishops for the Jewish community members!

As the Brennan Goldman assumes its role in the Rochester Community with the reorganization of its governing Board, the hiring of a Chief Executive Officer and the support of many faith communities in the Rochester area, we look forward to a new era of deepening and enriching interfaith relations and activities.

Founded by Jane Napier, the Institute was named for Father Joseph Brennan and Isobel Goldman.

  • Fr. Joseph Brennan

    Father Joseph Patrick Brennan, longtime rector of St. Bernard’s Seminary and a towering figure in Rochester’s interfaith movement, died Sept. 22, 2008, at the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in Brighton after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 79.

    A Rochester native, Father Brennan was ordained in Rome in 1954 and earned advanced degrees in theology and Scripture. After serving as assistant pastor at St. Jerome Church in East Rochester, he joined St. Bernard’s Seminary as a professor of Scripture in 1958 and became rector in 1966, serving until its closing in 1980. He later served as dean of St. Edmund’s College at Cambridge University, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption in Scottsville, and Director of Religious Affairs  at the University of Rochester until his retirement in 1996.

    Father Brennan was widely recognized as a pioneer in Catholic–Jewish relations beginning in the early 1960s. Inspired by his studies in Rome and time spent in Israel, where he studied modern Hebrew, he developed a lifelong commitment to interfaith dialogue. In 1996, his efforts led to the landmark Rochester Agreement between the Rochester Board of Rabbis and the Diocese of Rochester. He helped establish the Commission on Catholic - Jewish Relations and the Rochester Interfaith Forum, and built enduring relationships across faith communities.

    Even in retirement, he continued teaching and fostering dialogue. He helped lead historic interfaith trips to Israel in 1998 and to Rome and the Vatican in 2005, where the Rochester Agreement was presented to Pope Benedict XVI.

    Remembered as gentle, brilliant, and deeply gracious, Father Brennan was beloved across religious communities. His legacy continues through the Brennan-Goldman Institute, founded in 2006 to advance Catholic–Jewish relations — a testament to a life that truly made the world a better place.

  • Isobel Goldman

    Isobel Goldman is a recognized community builder and interfaith leader whose career has been defined by creating bold, relationship-driven initiatives that strengthen Jewish life and deepen connections across faith communities. During 18 years as Director of Community Relations at the Jewish Community Federation of Rochester, she founded and directed transformative programs including the Rochester Jewish Coalition for Literacy, which grew from six volunteers to more than 200 serving children in Rochester City Schools, and the Rochester Interfaith Bible Study, a 22-year initiative pairing Jewish and Christian clergy and educators in shared learning. She launched the Muslim/Jewish Coalition and the Black/Jewish Coalition, led interfaith missions to Israel and Rome, helped shape the Rochester–Modiin, Israel Partnership, and created large-scale community programs celebrating Israel and global Jewish culture.

    As Director of Grants at the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, Isobel developed and led major educational and cultural initiatives, including the First in Family tuition-free college program, the Farash Fellowship for the Advancement of Jewish Humanities and Culture, and the Farash Institute for Jewish Education, bringing distinguished voices such as Amos Oz and Archie Rand to Rochester and expanding access to Jewish educational experiences and Israel travel for local youth.

    Isobel is president of the Brennan Goldman Institute - founded in Catholic-Jewish dialogue, and advancing interfaith connection - established in honor of her decades of partnership with Fr. Joseph Brennan. The Institute advances Catholic–Jewish dialogue and broader interfaith engagement through education, public programming, and courageous conversation, continuing a legacy of bridge-building that has shaped Rochester’s civic and spiritual landscape. She also founded The Crayon Project, a nonprofit literacy initiative that served every K–3 student in Rochester City Schools for eight years and was the subject of her TEDx talk. Isobel currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Rochester Jewish Community Center and remains deeply committed to strengthening community through faith, education, and shared purpose.