Blogs
Mary in the News: April 5, 2018
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
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The Marian Library recently acquired a rare book entitled De Laudibus Beatae Mariae Virginis, published in Strasbourg in 1493. It was originally thought to be the work of St. Albert the Great, but is now attributed to Richard of St. Laurent. The book consists of twelve chapters that provide an encyclopedic overview of theological reflection on the Blessed Virgin Mary. The text is printed using Latin manuscript type, with the initial letters (capitals) printed in red. The book is folio-sized, bound in leather with subtle decorative stamping on the covers and spine, and is fitted with brass clamps to hold the book closed when not in use. Previously it had been owned by a Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt.
- See the complete article.
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Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Upcoming Film about Pope Francis
- Dr. Gloria Dodd, Director of Academic Program at the International Marian Research Institute (IMRI), informed us that the trailer for Pope Francis: A Man of His Word has some explicit Marian content (i.e. Our Lady of Fatima and a luminous rosary). The film is scheduled to be released on May 18, 2018.
- See the official two-minute trailer for this film.
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below.
Look to Saint Joseph by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
Are we inadvertently overlooking St. Joseph? Do we unintentionally ignore him? Neglect him? Relegate him to the background? This seems to be the case in Holy Scripture, in public and personal prayer, in preaching and teaching, in memory.
The reserved, quiet, unassuming husband of Mary and guardian of Jesus remained in the background as he faithfully and silently cooperated in God's plan for the Incarnation and Redemption. We have few depictions of him in prominent roles with Jesus and Mary.
Joseph is the almost forgotten player in the infancy narratives and early years of the Holy Family. Because the writers of the New Testament overlook him, this is understandable. Joseph is given short shrift. He is virtually ignored. Is this the treatment we are giving to the person who played such a momentous role in salvation history?
We are dealing with the man who saved Jesus from Herod's ugly plot, who provided for Him and His Mother, who taught Jesus a trade, who formed Him in His Judaic heritage.
Meet St. Joseph, ignored by history and often overlooked even today. This quiet giant rose to the occasion and relied on God's grace to guide him. Puzzled and bewildered he found himself in a situation he did not fathom. Yet he stood firm, happy to be in the background.
Like St. John the Baptizer, cousin of his foster Son, we know very little about St. Joseph. Like Mary, Joseph's faith leads him to accept God's invitation and to enter into God's plan. He accepts God's plan for him to care for Jesus and Mary. In doing so, he models for us how to listen to God and to respond. He stepped up to stand by Mary and Jesus.
Just as the Ave Maria hails Mary and her role, we should also honor Joseph with an Ave Joseph: Hail Joseph, full of faith, the Lord is with you. You lovingly fulfilled God's will for Mary and Jesus and for our redemption.
St. Joseph deserves better press. After all, he is the man closest to Jesus and the spouse of Mary.
Marian Events
Event: Festal Celebration at Holy Angels Parish
Theme: The Annunciation to Mary and the Incarnation of Jesus.
Location: Holy Angels Catholic Church, 322 Brown St., Dayton, OH 45409
Date: Monday, April 9, 2018
Holy Angels Parish and One More Soul are very pleased to invite you to A Celebration of the Annunciation and Incarnation of Jesus. The evening will begin with Marian Hymns before the Solemnity Mass at 7 p.m. with Father Greg Konerman as Celebrant and Homilist. After Mass there will be fellowship and refreshments in the Gymnasium with a talk by Anne Cherney, author of Supernatural Family Planning, the Original Method.
For more details, email steve@omsoul.com or call 937-626-0027.
Mary in the Catholic Press
'Mary Is the One Who Brought Us Close to Jesus Forever,' Says Pope at Chrism Mass (Zenit) March 29, 2018
Mary, with a 'yes' welcoming her Son into the world, is the one who brought us close to Jesus forever, Pope Francis underscored during the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Holy Thursday morning.
Encouraging his brother priests to join him in turning to Mary, "Mother of priests," he noted that they can call upon her as "Our Lady of Closeness."
"As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles and she constantly surrounds us with God's love, in such a way that no one feels left out," the Pope said. "Our Mother is not only close when she sets out "with haste" to serve, which is one means of closeness, but also by her way of expressing herself." ...
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.
Sally Cunneen: Women's voices meant to speak for all (National Catholic Reporter) March 26, 2018
In late 1965, Sally Cunneen, as co-founder and editor of the ecumenical quarterly, Cross Currents, mailed a questionnaire to 4,627 paid subscribers across Canada and the United States. The questionnaire responses, with targeted sections for men and women, were the basis for her eye-opening 1968 book, Sex: Female; Religion: Catholic, which examined the changing role for women members of the church.
The women who responded are described as "better educated, increasingly middle class, and stirred by developments in Catholicism encouraged by the Vatican Council." Cunneen believed that despite all the discussions happening about changing church practices after the Second Vatican Council, the voice still missing from the conversation was that of the American Catholic woman. Respondents ranging from mother superiors to suburban housewives were given the opportunity to be candid, and although their views on most topics varied, they all agreed there was a need for better dialogue between Catholic women and the church.
The Sally Cunneen papers are housed in the Marian Library archives at the University of Dayton. Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2018, the Marian Library is a special library on the Marianist campus founded to make the Blessed Virgin Mary better known, loved and served. The collection of notebooks, articles, manuscripts and audio recordings, was donated to the Marian Library in 2012 by Cunneen's family after her passing in 2009. The materials date back to her postgraduate work at Fordham University, Columbia University, and Teachers College and include writings post-retirement from Rockland Community College (State University of New York) as a Professor of English....