Skip to main content

Blogs

Miracles, Mysticism, and Madness – Oh My!

By Melanie Zebrowski, Library Specialist

Librarians at the Marian Library have hosted some very interesting class instruction sessions lately. From a Book Arts course which allowed Art and Design students to explore some of our oldest rare books from an aesthetic lens, to a history class that examined our manuscripts from the late Middle Ages, we have found unique ways to help professors incorporate our collections into a hands-on learning experience for students of all majors. Most recently, we were visited by a class with a very unusual focus of study: Miracles, Mysticism, Madness, and Modernity — a religion course taught by Professor Josh Wopata.

This unique course aims to teach students about religious topics outside of the norm, ones that don’t necessarily fit into our conceptions or understanding of modern day religious experience. It explores topics like faith and reason and it challenges students to think deeply about their assumptions and preconceived ideas through a lot of questioning and self-reflection. So, how was the Marian Library able to help? During an interactive learning session, our librarians pulled a number of interesting materials from our archives as well as U.S. Catholic Special Collection for students to engage with.

Divided into three topics (Medicine & Miracles, Flowers & Herbaria, Oil & Water), the items were set up on themed tables for students to examine and discuss together. Some interesting artifacts included were:

  • Medical Journals detailing healing miracles at Lourdes
  • Photos of statues weeping blood and water
  • Leaf etchings of famous Marian Apparitions
  • Miraculous rose petals
  • Holy water from famous shrines
  • Ex votos (physical offerings of devotion made in return for a healing miracle)

As the students examined all the various items, many interesting group discussions arose. Whatever the background or belief system of those in attendance (from self-proclaimed skeptics to devout Catholics), they were still intrigued by the objects presented and wanted to know more.

For our librarians, that is the best part! By providing students with tangible objects and experiences to supplement their learning, they are able connect and engage more fully with those topics in ways they might not have been able to before. The class was a great success, and we hope to continue providing experiences like it in the future. Are you a professor interested in having students visit the Marian Library? Our extensive collections cover more subjects than you would think! Speak to a librarian today about a class visit and we can collaborate to create a session unique to your needs.

Previous Post

Mary in the News: April 1, 2019

Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also, see International Marian Research Institute as well as Marian Library news and updates.

Read More
Next Post

Weekly Marian Features: April 8, 2019

This week you will find stamps of the Lord's Passion, a garden version of the Way of the Cross, plus Our Lady of Mercy and more.
Read More