Blogs
Mary in the News: July 30, 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
It is with deep sadness that we inform you that Dr. Virginia Kimball, a graduate of the International Marian Research Institute (IMRI) and past President of the Mariological Society of America (MSA) and also of the U.S. Chapter of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin (ESBVM-USA), died on July 28, 2019. Please pray for her repose and for the consolation of her loved ones. She will be remembered in the monthly Memorial Mass held in the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the University of Dayton on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 12:30 pm.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Congratulations to the Cast and Crew of Power In My Hands
The Rosary Evangelization Apostolate received a prestigious 2019 Gabriel Award on June 20, 2019, at the Catholic Media Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since 1965, the Catholic Press Association has given Gabriel Awards to honor excellence in film, broadcast, and cross-platform media productions. The Rosary Evangelization Apostolate received a Gabriel Award in the category of Special or Documentary 60 Minutes or Longer for the production of Power In My Hands, an 80-minute film that uncovers the beauty, timelessness, and power of the rosary.
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below with the following comments: "August 13 is the feast day of Blessed Jakob Gapp, an Austrian Marianist priest martyred by the Nazis in World War II. He is a model for our times."
Witness to Faith and Justice: Blessed Jakob Gapp, S.M. (1897-1943) by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
The feast of the Marianist martyr for the faith and for social justice, Blessed Jakob Gapp, is celebrated on August 13.
Heroes and models are important in the lives of all. Our Marianist candidates for sainthood are a mark of divine approval of our charism and ideal. One such model is Jakob Gapp. What do we know about him?
Blessed Jakob was the seventh child of a working class family in Austria's Tyrol. During military service in World War I on the Italian front he was wounded, received a medal of courage, and was captured as a prisoner of war. When he returned home, he learned about the Society of Mary (Marianists) from a relative. In 1920, he entered the novitiate at the age of 23. A year later, in 1921, he professed the vows of religious life, and in 1930 he was ordained a priest.
Jakob was a conscientious teacher and an ardent advocate of social justice. His concern for the poor was intense. And he was a vocal foe of National Socialism (Nazism). He strongly insisted on the incompatibility of National Socialism and Christianity. Christianity teaches the love of all persons regardless of nationality or religion. God supersedes Caesar.
He was moved frequently among various schools and parishes across Europe because he was constantly shadowed by the Gestapo.
In 1943, the Gestapo arrested him in southern France near the Spanish border and took him to Berlin for imprisonment. Condemned to death on July 2, Jakob Gapp was guillotined for treason on August 13, the anniversary of his entrance to the novitiate. His two farewell letters, one to his family and one to his provincial superior, are gems. The laudatory testimonies of Nazi leaders, Roland Freisler and Heinrich Himmler, are superlative tributes to Gapp's sterling character.
Pope St. John Paul II beatified Jakob Gapp in 1996. Biographers and commentators extolled Blessed Jakob for these outstanding virtues: a passion for truth; unwavering faith; commitment to the Church; and dedication to Mary. For us who follow in his steps, he is a model of service to the truth, to the Church, and to Mary. He is an icon of advocacy for social justice.
All Christians are called to be relevant and significant to the Church and to society.
Blessed Jakob Gapp, pray for us!
Marian Events
Title: Fatima USA 2019
Date: Friday, August 9, 2019, 7:30 pm
Location: Spiritual Center of Maria Stein, 2300 St. John's Road, Maria Stein, OH 45860--Directions
You are invited to Fatima USA 2019 with an outdoor Mass, Rosary, and candlelit procession around the grounds at the Spiritual Center of Maria Stein!
Holy Mass with Father Justin S. F. Cinnante, O.Carm., begins at 7:30 pm. After dark, a candlelit rosary will take form on the grounds as each prayer is recited. The program will conclude with a candle-light procession around the grounds.
For more information see facebook.com/Fatima.usa.mass
Mary in the Catholic Press
Statement of Bishop Brendan Kelly on Vandalism of Maryam Mosque in Galway, Ireland (Zenit) July 30, 2019
Bishop Brendan Kelly, Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, Ireland, issued the following statement on July 30, 2019, in the wake of the July 29, 2019, vandalism of Maryam Mosque in Galway.
"Together with so many of my fellow Galwegians, I am dismayed and shocked at the wilful and malicious assault made last night on the Maryam Mosque in our city. I wholeheartedly condemn the actions of the perpetrators...."
Mary in the Secular Press
Miravalle announced as chair of Mariology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville (The Troubadour) April 27, 2018
Franciscan University's St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology said in an interview that the opportunity will allow him to coordinate a more united front in support of the Virgin Mary.
Mark Miravalle, who holds a doctorate in sacred theology, has taught theology and Mariology at Franciscan University since 1986 and was awarded the honor to recognize his work as a scholar, writer, speaker, and teacher on Mary, according to an April 9, 2018 press release by the university.
The press release said that the honor is a "funded chair" and will receive financial support from the Zita and James Gavin Foundation, which supports Catholic and Marian-related activities.
Miravalle said that as chair, he will be able to coordinate with cardinals, bishops and lay Marian scholars from across the world in spreading the message of the Virgin Mary, which is something he sees as currently lacking....