Blogs
In the News: November 9, 2015
By Michael Duricy
Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute Features
Updates
The first online Marian Forum hosted by the International Marian Research Institute was held 3-5 p.m. Eastern Time, on Friday, October 16, 2015, and broadcast from the University of Dayton, Ohio. This Forum featured two presenters who sent their papers in advance to the twenty-eight registered participants, including those from Canada, Costa Rica, and Vietnam. Some sent their questions in advance by email, while eighteen people participated live, posting questions in the chat box. The first hour was spent with the interesting summaries of research while the second hour was devoted to a lively answering the questions from the chat box, email, and live audience.
Father Benedict O'Cinnsealaigh, the president/rector of the Athenaeum of Ohio: Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, reviewed the presence of Mary in seminary programs in general to present an ideal balanced with real experience. He reviewed the current practices relating Mary to priestly formation that includes human, spiritual, pastoral, and academic formation. He concluded with Cardinal Ratzinger's argument for Mary's central role in the academic formation of seminarians.
Dr. Robert Fastiggi presented the results of his survey regarding the current status of Mariology in thirty-five major (graduate) seminaries in the United States. All of the seminaries include Mariology in some way. Some seminaries have required stand-alone courses in Mariology, while others include it with other subjects, and still others offer it as an elective.
The second Marian Forum is scheduled for 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2016. The topic will be related to the Marian Church. More details will be provided soon.
Click here to watch video of the entire forum (2 hours) on YouTube.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Click here to view the November, 2015 Newsletter from Radio Maria USA [in PDF--requires Adobe Acrobat Reader]. Page 8 shows their weekly schedule of programs, including our Marian Studies and Spirituality series on Thursday afternoons.
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John M. Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below along with the following comments: "November 6 is the feast of the Marianist Martyrs of Madrid. May they intercede for us."
Marianist Martyrs of Spain by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.
Seven Marianist martyrs who were victims of religious persecution in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 have been beatified. They were sought and martyred because of their faith and membership in a religious congregation, and for teaching in Marianist schools in Ciudad Real and in Madrid.
Three Marianist Brothers martyred at Ciudad Real were beatified in 1995 by Pope John Paul II. They are Blessed Carlos Erana, S.M., Blessed Jesus Hita, S.M., and Blessed Fidel Fuidio, S.M. These men were also exemplary Christian educators and apostles of Mary. September 18 is the day we honor them in the Church calendar.
Four Marianists gave their lives in Madrid for the same cause and were beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007: Blessed Miguel Leibar, S.M., Blessed Florencio Arnaiz, S.M., Brother Joaquin Ochoa, S.M., and Brother Sabino Ayastuy, S.M. Their feast day in the liturgical calendar is November 6.
Fifteen Marianists were martyred for their faith in 1936. Because of the anarchy of the times, it has been difficult to gather sufficiently detailed information to introduce the causes of the other eight Marianist martyrs.
None of these martyrs was involved in politics in any way, nor did they bear arms. These Marianists were simply religious educators standing staunchly for their Christian convictions.
A note on the severity and complexity of the Spanish Civil War may be helpful. Though civil war erupted in 1931, the worst upheaval in Spain lasted from July 17, 1936, to April 1, 1939, and was a brutal conflict in which the Nationalists overcame the Loyalists. The Church was a primary target of attack.
The death toll was high. Estimates of the number killed run as high as 500,000. Included in the many ruthless massacres were 12 bishops, 283 Sisters, 2,365 monks and Brothers, and 4,184 priests.
In the reconstruction following the bloody strife, Franco built a monumental basilica church hewn from a granite ridge in the Guadarama range as a huge cavern, and topped by the world's tallest memorial cross. This memorial known as Valle de los Caidos, Valley of the Fallen, contains the remains of about 40,000 of both sides who died in the war. One of the Marianist martyrs of Ciudad Real, Brother Fidel Fuidio, is represented in the vast interior mosaic decorations.
Biographies of the Ciudad Real Marianist martyrs by Father Emilio Ortega, S.M., have been translated into English under a single cover. Father Jose Maria Salaverri, S.M., a former superior general of the Marianists, has completed in Spanish a volume containing the biographies of the four Marianists martyred in Madrid. In the latter book the introduction by Father Enrique Torres, S.M., former postulator general of the Marianist causes for sainthood, is an excellent theological reflection on the meaning of martyrdom. These books are available from the North American Center for Marianist Studies in Dayton, Ohio.
Marian Events
Mary, Undoer of Knots Traveling Prayer Wall
Join us as we unite our prayers with a traveling "Mary, Undoer of Knots" prayer wall around the University of Dayton campus. Write your prayer intentions on pieces of fabric and tie them to the prayer wall. As you do, untie someone else's prayer and keep it with you as you pray for that person and their intention. It will be in the Immaculate Conception Chapel from November 9-12, 2015.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Interview: Aleppo's Faithful Ask: 'Where Is God? Why Did God Forsake Us? Why Doesn't He End the War?' from Zenit (Syria) November 4, 2015
Abbot Semaan Abou Abdou was Patriarchal (Apostolic) Administrator of the Maronite Eparchy of Aleppo, Syria. He is a member of the Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Lebanon-based congregation with ancient roots in Aleppo.
Syria's largest city is hotly contested by both the regime and rebel forces, including jihadists who often target Christian neighborhoods. On the evening of Oct. 25, 2015, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis suffered an attack while 400 people were attending Mass.
Pope Francis on Saturday, Oct. 31, gave his assent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church of Father Joseph Tobji as archbishop of Aleppo of the Maronites, Syria.
Abbot Abdou spoke with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need last week, Oct. 28, during a visit to New York.
How traumatized are your people?
Three words summarize the war in Syria: killing, displacement, and destruction.
There are three existential questions: When will the war end? Where are we heading? Who is benefiting? Then there are three questions of faith: Where is God? Why did God forsake us? Why doesn't He end the war? Everyone is confused, terrified, and feeling aimless.
There are shortages of water, power outages, a lack of fuel, medicine--many doctors have fled the city. Plus, our churches and many people's homes have been destroyed. The violence is causing untold grief. I was deeply affected last March during the funeral service of a mother and her two young children who had perished in a bombing. It was a very difficult, emotional scene: here are three coffins in the church--what could I tell people? Everyone is crying, especially their young friends. May the Spirit of the Lord console the hearts of those who are grieving....
Click here to read the complete article
Mary in the Secular Press
The director and editors of All About Mary under the auspices of the International Marian Research Institute do not necessarily endorse or agree with the events and ideas expressed in this feature. Our sole purpose is to report on items about Mary gleaned from a myriad of papers representing the secular press.
UD's At the Manger exhibit to open November 28 (Oakwood Register) October 28, 2015
The University of Dayton will celebrate Christmas and Beyond with its annual exhibit of Nativities from around the world and the installation of a new model train display built to tell the story of Jesus' young life.
At the Manger: Christmas and Beyond will run from Saturday, November 28, 2015 to Sunday, January 24, 2016, inside Roesch Library on the U.D. campus. It is free and open to the public. A grand opening celebration from 1-5 p.m. on November 28 will feature children's activities, entertainment by the Dayton Celebration Chorus and a college football viewing area....
Click here to read the entire article [then click forward to page 4].