Blogs
Mary in the News: Nov. 13, 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
THE CENTRE FOR MARIAN STUDIES AND THE INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY AT ST MARY'S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, LONDON, UK: BRIDGES AND BOUNDARIES: THE ROLE OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN FAITH AND CULTURE--July 9-11, 2020
Call For Papers
The Virgin Mary is a link between the three Abrahamic faiths as a Jewish mother whose son, Jesus, is worshipped by Christians and revered by Muslims; and a sacred female symbol who has inspired diverse works of culture (both religious and secular) across the centuries.
The conference organizers invite presentations (30 minutes in length) that:
i) explore the significance of the Virgin Mary as a connection between different faith traditions;
ii) examine the manifold ways in which the Marian image traverses boundaries and motivates theologians, philosophers, historians, anthropologists, sociologists, artists, architects, writers, and filmmakers who might be strange bedfellows in another context.
Confirmed speakers include Andrew Louth, Professor Emeritus of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham; Salvador Ryan, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth; Dr. Teresa Witcombe, Leverhulme Visiting Research Fellow in the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Exeter; Dr. Eileen Rubery, Art Historian and Lecturer at the London School of Mosaics; Dr. Mary Frances McKenna, Independent Scholar; and Dr. Sarah Jane Boss, St. Mary’s College, Oscott.
This event will also be an opportunity to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Centre for Marian Studies, established in 1995, which is a registered charity that provides educational courses, promotes research, and maintains a library, on subjects relating to the theology and wider cult of the Virgin Mary. The Centre for Marian Studies, which has no religious affiliation and is open to members of any religious tradition or none, is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration to form a dynamic learning community that supports and advances Marian scholarship.
Please submit abstracts (250 words) with a short biography by November 15, 2019 to Dr. Jacob Phillips and Dr. Catherine O’Brien at the following address: centreformarianstudies@gmail.com.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Newest Issue of ‘Marian Studies’ Now Available
On Oct. 15, the Mariological Society of America (MSA) and the University of Dayton Libraries released Volume 66 of Marian Studies, the open-access scholarly proceedings of the MSA's annual meeting.
Volume 66, "Mary and Holy Families Living Today," features eight articles on the Blessed Mother as a model for married life, family life, church life, catechesis, and consecrated life, among other things. All were presented at the Mariological Society of America's meeting held May 19-22, 2015, in Hickory, North Carolina.
All content in Marian Studies is accessible free of charge through eCommons, the University of Dayton's institutional repository; a bound version of Volume 66 also is available for purchase for $15 per copy.
Marian Events
Title: Catholic Prayer
Dates: Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: Blessed Sacrament Parish Undercroft (beneath the church), 2409 Dixie Hwy, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky 41017
A free presentation for adults by Stephen Snyder, Theology Teacher at C.C.H.S.
The prayers that we pray every day are so rich, yet we often don't know or think about all the depth and beauty that they hold. Come learn to pray and meditate better, simply by unlocking some of what is already in the prayers you say daily!
Learn why Saint Bernadette Soubirous' favorite prayer was the Sign of the Cross, why the Our Father is the perfect prayer, and the divine mysteries held within the Hail Mary!
The presentation is free to the public. Please RSVP by texting Deacon Jim Fortner at 859-462-9277, or by emailing him at jfortner@bscky.org.
Mary in the Catholic Press
"Today We Also Need a Mother," Pope Appeals to Entrust Painful Journeys of All on the Move to Mary (Full Homily) (Zenit) September 29, 2019
"Today we also need a mother," Pope Francis has said, appealing: "we entrust to the maternal love of Mary, Our Lady of the Way, of so many painful journeys, all migrants and refugees, together with those who live on the peripheries of our world and those who have chosen to share their journey."
The Pontiff stressed this on the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which is observed on September 29, 2019. In his homily in St. Peter's Square during Mass, he encouraged to "pass immediately to action to relieve, care, and save" people in movement. "It's about putting the last in the first place," because the true motto of a Christian is "the last first!" and not "me first and the others after."
The Pope's theme for the day, entitled "It's Not Only About Migrants," stresses that in a world "every day more elitist and cruel towards the excluded," the migrants' cause concerns "us all," the "present and ... the future of the human family.” ...
Mary in the Secular Press
Schedule: Traveling images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Juan Diego, Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos (Angelus News website) October 30, 2019
Three religious images of great importance to the local Latino Catholic community are currently touring the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In preparation for an annual procession and Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 1 in East LA, the pilgrimage of the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego began with a visit to the Día de los Muertos celebration at Santa Clara Cemetery in Oxnard Oct. 26.
The Guadalupe image is an exact digital reproduction of the original image in Mexico City's Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and has been blessed and touched to the original image.
Another traveling image of the Blessed Mother, that of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos (also from Mexico), is currently being venerated by faithful at parishes throughout Southern California until Nov. 17.