Blogs
In the News: July 9, 2017
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
Dr. Gloria Dodd was interviewed on June 27, 2017 by Michael Roberts of the Living Bread Radio network, AM 1060--FM 89.5 and 94.5 out of Canton, Ohio, for their Around the Town series. Click here to listen to a podcast recorded from that 28-minute broadcast. The interview with Dr. Dodd occurs in the One Tank Trips section of the program which begins in the seventeenth minute of the broadcast.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
International Catholic Film and Multimedia Festival
The Thirty-Second International Catholic Film and Multimedia Festival will be held in Niepokalanow, Poland. Click here for more information.
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John Samaha, S.M., sent us the article below with the following comments: "Pray the Rosary. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us."
Why Pray the Rosary by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
Some say the Rosary is repetitious and boring and is intended for simple people. Surely those persons do not understand the efficacy of the Rosary as a prayer. Simplicity is the key to perfection.
Maintaining a regular, daily, and permanent dialogue with God is the heart of prayer. This conversation can take different forms. But the key element is that this dialogue includes what God has to say to you. Whatever form it takes, prayer brings us closer to God. Throughout the centuries, the experience and example of many saints and devout persons have demonstrated that the Rosary brings us closer to God. At Lourdes and Fatima our Blessed Mother encouraged us to pray the Rosary. Saints of the past and near present prayed the Rosary daily. What more direction do we need? We can profit from their example.
The word Rosary means a crown of roses. It is a restful, soothing prayer like a mantra that quiets and calms us to enable us to reflect on the lives of Jesus and Mary, that relaxes us to be present to God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#971) calls the Rosary "an epitome of the whole Gospel."
The Rosary is the Gospel strung on beads. When praying it we deepen our knowledge and love of Jesus and Mary and fuel our desire to imitate them and serve them more faithfully. We enter into the mysteries of Jesus and Mary and achieve an interior silence that influences our thinking, planning, and deciding. This increases our desire to follow Jesus and Mary.
Mary, who pondered all these events in her heart, will lead us to her Son as we offer her this daily crown of roses.
TOPMarian Events
Theme: Pilgrimage to Marian Shrines
Date: September 24 - October 5, 2017
The Companions of Saint James in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are sponsoring a pilgrimage to Marian shrines in Spain, France, and Portugal with Bishop Joe Binzer through George's International Tours. Click here for details.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Pope at General Audience: "We Are Not Orphans. We Have Mary." (Zenit website) May 10, 2017
"We are not orphans. We have a Mother in Heaven, who is the Holy Mother of God." Pope Francis stressed this during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter's Square, as he continued his catecheses on Christian hope.
Reflecting this time on the theme: "The Mother of Hope" (Cf. John 19:25-27), Francis noted, "We all love Mary as Mother."
"She teaches us the virtue of waiting, even when everything appears nonsensical: she is always confident in the mystery of God, even when He seems to eclipse Himself because of the evil in the world...."
Click here to read the entire 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.
Thirtieth Anniversary of the Beatification of Blessed George Matulaitis, Renovator of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (thedivinemercy.org website) June 28, 2017
Thirty years ago, on June 28, 1987, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Pope St. John Paul II raised our beloved Renovator, Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz, to the honors of the altar. It was truly a joyful day.
Saint John Paul II captured the heart of this holy man when he said in his homily: "He was a shepherd full of courage and initiative ... His only concern was always the salvation of the souls entrusted to his care ... I wish to remind you of his zeal ... In heroic degree he strove to be everything to everyone, deeply conscious of his pastoral mission, true apostle of unity, dedicated without reserve to preaching the gospel and the salvation of souls."
For Blessed George (1871-1927), "to love" was "to serve." The commandment of love of God and of neighbor, for him, was simply an invitation to a life of dynamic, self-giving and sacrificing. Love in relationship to God meant whole-hearted acceptance of Him and His Word, complete entrustment to His guidance, and making "God and His glory the center of life, the axis of all thoughts, feelings, desires, and works...."
Click here to read the entire article.