Blogs
In the News: Feb. 12, 2016
By Michael Duricy
Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also see International Marian Research Institute news and updates.
Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute Features
Updates
Father Carlos Rojas has a lovely homily about Mary in Spanish available free online, Suyapa: Amor Punzante De María. We appreciate his being open to this link being announced in our News blog. He is currently serving at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida. On February 2, 2016 a Spanish Mass was held in the parish at 7:30 pm in honor of Our Lady of Candelaria. On February 7, 2016, a Marian Cultural Celebration of Our Lady of Suyapa, Patroness of Honduras was held at the parish at 11:30 am.
TOPMary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
An illustrated edition of The Garden Way of the Cross by Father Thomas Stanley, S.M., is now available from Novalis Publishing Inc. in Canada. These meditations on the Stations of the Cross connect scriptural verses to symbolic flowers and plants. Father Stanley's meditations first appeared in the Prayer and Meditation section of the Mary's Gardens website and can still be seen on the website were they were first published in August 1993 and revised again in July, 1996 and March, 1997. Click here to find more information or order a copy.
These simple meditations served as the inspiration for the beautifully detailed full-color illustrations by Louise Tessier, who also wrote the prayers of petition that conclude each Station. Lauretta Santarossa wrote the foreword.
Louise Tessier exhibited art during the Moved by the Spirit show held at The Marian Library Gallery in 2012. This exhibit moved throughout North America from 2011-2015.
Having received permission from Father Stanley, Louise has created an Art Poster Package to be used in conjunction with the book above by churches and schools. Click here for more information or here to order.
N.B. In honor of Father Thomas and his 73 years as a Priest in the Society of Mary (Marianists), a portion of the proceeds from art sales will be donated to a Marian charity.
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John M. Samaha, S.M., sent us the following information by email.
Who was St. Ephrem?
St. Ephrem was born around 306 in Nisibis, a Syrian town now located in present-day Turkey. The Church was suffering under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. His writings suggest that both parents were Christians.
A Prayer of St. Ephrem
This prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian, a deacon, is a traditional Lenten prayer of the Eastern Christian Churches.
O Lord and Master of my life, keep from me
the spirit of indifference and discouragement,
lust of power and idle chatter.
Instead, grant to me, your servant,
the spirit of wholeness of being, humble-mindedness, patience, and love.
O Lord and King, grant me the grace to be
aware of my sins and not to judge others;
for You are blessed now and ever and forever.
Amen.
A Prayer to Mary by St. Ephrem
Fill my mouth, O Mary, with the grace of your gentleness.
Enlighten my intelligence, you who have been filled with God's favor.
Then my tongue will cheerfully sing your praises
and especially the prayer of the Angel,
who announced salvation to the world,
and the remedy and protection of all people.
Accept that I, your little servant,
praise you, and tell you, and tell you softly once more:
"Rejoice, Mary, full of grace."
TOPMarian Events
For your spiritual growth we inform you that Canterbury Pilgrimages and Tours organizes an Extraordinary Jubilee year of Mercy Pilgrimage to Rome and Fatima in August: a unique occasion of spiritual renewal and an opportunity to deepen and strengthen your Marian devotion and spirituality. For more information call: 800-653-0017 or visit: www.canterburypilgrimages.com.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Meditation on Third Sunday in Ordinary Time from Zenit (Vatican City) January 22, 2016
Today the liturgy makes us listen to two passages of the Gospel of St. Luke.
The first (Lk 1,1-4) is the phrase with which synthetically St. Luke informs Theophilus (whose name means the beloved of God and the friend of God) that he had carefully written his Gospel to tell what Jesus said and did.
The second (Lk 4.14 to 21) presents the narrative of the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. In Luke this "programmatic" speech of Jesus has the same function that in Matthew the Sermon on the Mount has. It is the new Magna Charta of Christianity entrusted to Theophilus, and to each of us, called to hear the Word of the Lord, to be his friends and to be witnesses of the merciful love of God for every man....
I would add a final reflection, which I consider important. The consecrated virgins bring closer to us the example of Mary, Virgin of Mercy. Since the eleventh century, Mary was recognized as mother of mercy because since that time the truth of the deep, intimate connection between her being the Mother of God and the Mother of each of us has been clear. Mercy is a quality of maternal love. Jesus the Son was created to be the mercy of mankind and Mary spread and spreads this mercy from generation to generation with a Mother's love. The consecrated virgins in the world testify that even today Mary is not only a refuge for mercy, but a model of mercy and that the new family of God's children is not based "on flesh and blood," but on the grace of a love completely donated to God.
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.
Our Lady of Guadalupe (University of Dayton News) January 27, 2016
Pope Francis' trip to Mexico from February 12-17, 2016 will include a pilgrimage to pray before Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most famous and popular shrines in the world.
Here are ten things to know about the shrine before his visit, from the University of Dayton's Marian Library, recognized internationally as a source of expert information on the Virgin Mary:
1. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a life-size image of the Virgin Mary that miraculously appeared on a peasant's cloak in 1531 in Mexico.
2. It is one of the most famous shrines in the world. Every year, twenty-million people visit the Basilica of Guadalupe where the cloth is displayed. An estimated three-million pilgrims visit on December 12, her feast day.
3. Tradition says the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a Nahua peasant and Christian convert, on December 9, 1531, on the hill of Tepeyac. She spoke to him in the Nahuatl language and directed him to ask the bishop to erect a sanctuary at the foot of the hill. The bishop, however, wanted proof of her appearance.
4. The Virgin Mary appeared again to Juan Diego on December 12, 1531, and instructed him to pick roses from the barren hill. Diego put the flowers in his tilma, or cloak. When he opened the cloak before the bishop, the portrait of Mary appeared on it.
5. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe on Saturday, February 13. "It would be unthinkable that the Pope would go to Mexico and not visit Guadalupe," said the Rev. Thomas Thompson, S.M., of The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton and an expert on Mary....
Click here to read the complete article.