Blogs
Mary in the News: May 15, 2019
By Michael Duricy
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.
Marian Library and International Marian Research Institute Features
Updates
Alumni Activities
Richard Lenar attended the Spring 2019 Commencement at the University of Dayton on May 11, 2019. He earned the Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the International Marian Research Institute Magna Cum Laude. His S.T.L. Thesis, The Figure of Mary in Italian Opera, has been posted in Ohio LINK's Electronic Thesis and Dissertation database.
Father Alexandre Awi Mello also graduated at that time, though he did not attend the ceremony. He earned the Doctorate is Sacred Theology from the International Marian Research Institute Summa Cum Laude. His S.T.D. Dissertation, Maria-Iglesia: Madre del Pueblo Misionero - Papa Francisco y la piedad popular mariana en el contexto teologico-pastoral latino-americano (Mary-Church: Mother of the Missionary People – Pope Francis and popular Marian piety) has also been posted in Ohio LINK's Electronic Thesis and Dissertation database.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Book by Father Donald Calloway, M.I.C., on Consecration to Saint Joseph in Preparation
It's hard to believe that in the 2,000-year history of the Church there has never been a comprehensive program of preparation and consecration to St. Joseph! Well, that's about to change!
Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of our Spiritual Father will be published on January 1, 2020. The author hopes that it is going to take the Church and the world by storm! It follows the traditional 33-Day method of Marian consecration and can be done by individuals, groups, parishes, etc. The Church and the world have no idea how epic this is going to be!
Join the Facebook page and be part of the first worldwide movement of consecration to St. Joseph!
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below.
Praying the Rosary with the Smiling Pope by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
While some misinterpreted the Second Vatican Council as downgrading devotion to Our Lady, Bishop Albino Luciani of Vittorio Veneto, Italy (later Pope John Paul I), was concerned about his people that no longer prayed the rosary. He continued to promote devotion to Our Lady and to the rosary. But he urged more than superficial devotion.
At times Bishop Luciani was approached by simple faithful who asked him out of pious curiosity what title of Our Lady he liked best. Without satisfying their curiosity he would reply with a twinkle in his eye, "If you would let me give you some advice, may I suggest that you have devotion to Our Lady of the Pots and Pans, or Our Lady of the Broom. You see, Our Lady became a saint as a simple housewife, washing the dishes, preparing meals, peeling the potatoes, or things like that."
"What I was trying to tell them," he explained to his priests, "was that, yes, they should have great devotion to Our Lady, they must pray to her and have great confidence in her, but above all, they must imitate her virtues."
Albino Luciani, now affectionately remembered as "The Smiling Pope" and recognized as a superb catechist, loved the rosary and was frequently seen with it in his hands. In 1972 he wrote, "The rosary becomes a look at Mary, which grows in intensity little by little as one proceeds. It ends by being a refrain which springs from the heart and when repeated sweetens the soul like a song.... When I speak with God and Our Lady, I prefer to think myself a child rather than a grown-up. The miter, the zucchetto, the ring disappear. I send the grown-up on vacation, and the bishop with him, and abandon myself to the spontaneous tenderness that a child has for its papa and mama. To be for a while before God as I am in reality, with the worst of myself and the best of myself; to let rise to the surface from the depths of my being the child I once was, who wants to laugh, to chatter, to love the Lord, and who sometimes feels the need to cry so that he may be shown mercy, helps me to pray. The rosary, a simple and easy prayer, helps me to be a child, and I am not ashamed at all."
Marian Events
Title: 2019 Annual Conference of the ESBVM-USA: Call for Papers
Theme: Mary, Disciple of the Lord--Motherhood
Date: July 25-27, 2019
Location: Misericordia University in Dallas, PA (just outside Wilkes-Barre)
The Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, USA (ESBVM-USA) was formed by Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Orthodox, and Presbyterian Scholars and is open to all Christians. The Society exists to advance the study of Mary, the Mother of Christ. Our immediate goal is inter-ecclesial scholarship that focuses on Mary in light of Christian theological, biblical, and spiritual principles. Furthermore, by means of shared study and prayer, we provide an opportunity for Christians of various denominational backgrounds to explore how Marian studies might contribute to the search for unity.
For more information, contact Christopher M. Carr, Ph.D., ESBVM-USA, President at: ccarr@misericordia.edu.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Medjugorje: Church Authorizes Pilgrimages and Continues Studying Authentication of the Apparitions (Zenit) May 13, 2019
Given the "considerable affluence of people" that go to Medjugorje and the "abundant fruits of grace," Pope Francis authorized pilgrimages to Medjugorje, "always being careful to avoid that those pilgrimages are interpreted as an authentication of the known events, which still require an examination on the part of the Church."
So said Alessandro Gisotti, interim Director of the Holy See Press Office on Sunday, May 12, 2019, according to reports of Monsignor Henryk Hoser, Apostolic Visitor of special character for the parish of Medjugorje and the Apostolic Nunciature in Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the place where the Virgin's apparitions are taking place....
Mary in the Secular Press
Mary, Our Muse: Text and paintings by Holly Schapker (Franciscan Media website) April 25, 2019
On the night the angel Gabriel visited Mary, as the biblical story goes, he asked her to bear a child who would be called Emmanuel, a name that means "God is with us." Perhaps a pause ensued until she answered Gabriel, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38) I find personal transformation in Mary's simple yes and believe this story gives us all hope.
This incredible moment is inspiring to me because it is still alive and with us today. The same story occurs multiple times a day as we say yes to God's will ourselves. It is important to remember that when Mary spoke to Gabriel, she was speaking for all of us. Engaging with art through the lens of the Catholic imagination has occurred throughout Church history and since the earliest apostles.
Turning to Mary has allowed me to approach her state of humble relinquishment in my painting studio and outside of it in my personal life. The paintings included in this article derived from my interpretation of our Blessed Mother's life and her ultimate mission of bringing us closer to Christ. I present this work as a woman on her own pilgrimage to spiritual understanding....