The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful...to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures "the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8).  For "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."  Therefore they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose...  (SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 18 November 1965, no. 25).

Founded in 2006 by the Very Reverend Thomas Coughlin, O.P. Miss., Brother Adam Zawadzki, O.P. Miss., and Matthew G. Hysell, the Mark Seven Bible Institute seeks to provide advanced exposure to the Bible from within the interpretive milieu of the Catholic Church.

Each summer, Camp Mark Seven in Old Forge, New York, hosts a study week and retreat for participants of the Mark Seven Bible Institute, usually focusing on one of the sacred authors.  As a distinctly Catholic venture, our approach to the Sacred Page is guided by the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils, Fathers, and other documents of the sacred magisterium.  Most importantly, the Catholicity of the Institute is expressed by its communion with H.E. the Most Reverend +Robert J. Cunningham of Ogdensburg, remembering him as well as H.H. Pope +Benedict XVI, at the diptych in the celebration of Mass.

As an apostolate of the Deaf Catholic community, the Mark Seven Bible Institute conducts its sessions in American Sign Langauge and maintains formal ties with the International Catholic Deaf Association and the National Catholic Office for the Deaf.