Blogs
In the News: March 1, 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 John Larson, MIC, Superior of the Marian House of Studies in Steubenville, Ohio, will tell why Divine Mercy is considered the message for our times. Hear a new presentation 7:00 p.m. each evening from February 28 - March 2, 2016 at Saint Mary Parish in Greenville, Ohio. Click here for details.
Also, Father Larson is scheduled to teach a course on Mariology at John Paul the Great Catholic University starting on April 13, 2016. Click here for details.
One of the textbooks used will be The Marian Mystery: Outline of a Mariology (2014) by Denis Farkasfalvy, O. Cist. Click here to see a review of this text by Father Edward Looney published in Homiletic and Pastoral Review.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Risen, an epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer, was recently released in theaters. I watched it myself and am happy to recommend it, especially to those happy with the tone, theme, and production values of The Bible mini-series shown on The History Channel or A.D., shown later on network television, from the same producers. The Crucifixion is shown early in the film and Mary appears there briefly. She did not have a large role in that scene, but it was her only appearance. For further details click into a review by Steven D. Greydanus posted in National Catholic Register and also a theological reflection by Bishop Robert Barron posted in Zenit. Click here to view the official two-minute trailer posted on YouTube.
On a separate note, be aware that another film based on the New Testament, The Young Messiah, is scheduled to be released on March 11, 2016. Based on the Anne Rice novel, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, this film tells the story of Jesus Christ at age seven as He and his family depart Egypt to return home to Nazareth. Told from His childhood perspective, it follows young Jesus as He grows into His religious identity. Click here to view the official two-minute trailer posted on YouTube.
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John M. Samaha, S.M., sent us the text immediately below along with the following comment: "This article about Blessed Jacob Gapp was published in The Catholic Response, January-February 2016, pages 10-12."
A Modern Martyr Championed the Catholic Press
Blessed Jacob Gapp, S.M., may well be considered another patron of the Catholic press as well as a patron of justice and peace advocates. Because the Gestapo condemned him for his unwavering adherence to the Catholic faith and his unabashed denunciation of National Socialism (Nazism), Father Jacob Gapp was guillotined by the Nazis in Berlin at the Ploetzensee Prison on August 13, 1943. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1996.
Before entering the Society of Mary in his native Austria, this intrepid Marianist priest had served in the Austrian army in World War I, was wounded and decorated for valor, and suffered as a prisoner of war in northern Italy. This experience taught him to loathe war, selfishness and greed, arrogant pride, political and social injustice. As a young Marianist religious and teacher of religion he was unstinting as a militant advocate for the poor, the needy, and the oppressed.
This action made Father Gapp a serious irritant to the Nazis after they annexed Austria in 1938. For his own safety and for the welfare of the Marianist school where he was teaching in Graz, his superiors moved him from place to place for parish work. The Nazi regime forbade him to teach. Some pupils in the Tyrol told a school inspector in October 1938 that Father Gapp explained to them the Gospel message of brotherly love and their obligation to love and respect "Frenchmen, Czechs, Jews, and communists alike, as they were all human beings." He insisted, "God is your God, not Adolf Hitler." ...
Click here to read the complete article.
Marian Events
Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz, an original one-man live drama acted by Leonardo Defilippis, will be performed at St. Peter Church in Huber Heights, Ohio on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $8 each or $20 per family. Tickets may be purchased at the door with cash, check, or credit card. For tickets and information call 937-233-1503.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Filipino Bishops' Statement on Pornography from Zenit (Philippines) February 23, 2016
A Pastoral Response to the Grave Evil of Pornography
Message of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on the occasion of the opening of the Lenten Season 2016
Our brothers and sisters in Christ:
One of the astonishing revelations of the Gospel is that every human person is created for both human and divine love, because every human person is made for a Triune God who is infinite mercy and love: "God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life." This is our great vocation, to enjoy the friendship of God and of our neighbor, whether he is a friend or a stranger, in God....
Have recourse to the sacraments regularly, especially the sacrament of confession, to receive the strength and courage from God to help you in your trials. Entrust yourself to the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who have long been linked to the pursuit of holy chastity.
Finally, and most importantly, we are all called to rely on God's grace and power to resist and to overcome sexual temptation so that we may imitate Jesus Christ who was perfectly chaste and perfectly pure. Chastity is a virtue that is perfected by God working with us and in us. It is God who will complete what He has already begun in us.
May Mary, Mother of Life and Virgin Most Pure, bring us to the heart of Jesus, her Son, who promised that the pure of heart will be able to see 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.
Seattle University. Students Advertise Planned Parenthood Campus Event Using Image of Rosary with IUD (Catholic Education Daily) February 25, 2016
An unofficial student group at Seattle University is hosting an on-campus event this evening on reproduction and healthcare that will feature a Planned Parenthood employee, and flyers of the event posted around campus include a sacrilegious image of a Rosary with the crucifix replaced by an intrauterine device, a type of hormonal contraceptive inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
The event, Catholicism and Full Spectrum Reproductive Healthcare: One Provider's Perspective, is hosted by Seattle Nursing Students for Sexual and Reproductive Justice (Seattle NSSRJ), an unofficial group of graduate students at Seattle University.
In the image of the distressing flyer provided to The Cardinal Newman Society, a stamp of approval from the Center for Student Involvement is visible in the lower right hand corner, indicating that the flyer was approved by the University to be distributed on campus. Following inquiries, the Newman Society was informed that the flyers would be taken down, however, the event itself will still take place in the University's Pigott Auditorium, according to the executive dean for graduate education at the University's College of Nursing....
Click here to read the complete article.
N.B. We also recently learned of other images offensive to Catholics in Brazil. Click here for more information (with Portuguese text and pictures).