Blogs
Mary in the News: Jan. 27, 2020
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
ESBVM USA Cessation
Dear ESBVM USA Member,
I have some rather somber news. The executive board of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary USA has recently reviewed the organization's membership and resources, as well as the wider level of activity in ecumenism, and has determined that the Society’s charism has run its course.
Our founder, Martin Gillett, had a noble vision of a Christian society rooted in a common love of Our Lord's Mother, and he brought that vision from England to America nearly fifty years ago. As with all organizations formed to meet the particular needs of a particular time, the ESBVM USA's moment seems to have passed, and we all must look forward to new ways of witnessing to our faith and striving for the Christian unity that Jesus commanded in John 17:21. We trust that He guides us in all our endeavors.
1) No more than six members out of the one hundred or so in the ESBVM USA mailing list regularly pay their dues.
2) Solicitation for input from members by means of email or the newsletter do not result in any responses.
3) All of the remaining members of the ESBVM USA board are Catholics.
4) For the past two years, the call for papers to be presented at the ESBVM USA's annual conference has generated no replies, and that call has been sent to seventy colleges, seminaries, and professional associations.
If you are one of the handful of members who did pay dues since the most recent reminder to do so last summer, your dues will be refunded by letter sent through the U.S. Postal Service.
Financially, aside from the remittance of dues, there are a few bills to pay, such as for the website that had been attempted and the costs incurred by soliciting designs for a new logo. Any remaining funds in the ESBVM USA account will be donated to an organization that embodies the ESBVM USA's central ideals, perhaps such as the Mariological Society of America.
I close by extending my gratitude once again for your being a part of the ESBVM USA, and may the Mary, the Mother of God, always pray for us all, "now, at the hour of our death."
Christopher M. Carr, Ph.D.--ESBVM USA, President
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
New Book on Saint Joseph Now Available
Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Father Donald Calloway. M.I.C., is now available for purchase! The great St. Joseph is about to come on the scene like never before!
This text follows the traditional 33-day method of Marian consecration initiated by St. Louis de Montfort. The program can be done by individuals, groups, parishes, and entire diocese.
You can purchase the book (hardcopy or ebook) online at: www.consecrationtostjoseph.org or www.fathercalloway.com.
Please help spread word of the first worldwide movement of consecration to St. Joseph. Now is the time for consecration to St. Joseph!
Marian Events
Title: Mary in Miniature
Topic: Book of Hours in the Marian Library's Collection
Dates: January 27, 2020 - July 17, 2020
Time: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Location: University of Dayton, Marian Library Gallery, seventh floor of Roesch Library
Free and open to the public
Books of Hours--devotional books centered on a series of prayers to the Virgin Mary--were the bestselling book in Europe for over 300 years, from 1250-1550. This exhibit highlights Books of Hours in the Marian Library's collection--their art, their text and their unique (and sometimes unusual) features. Books of Hours, also called horae, not only contain artistic masterpieces in miniature but also provide a window into the religious and social lives and customs of their medieval readers....
Mary in the Catholic Press
Visit of the Imam of the Great Mosque of Rome (PAMI website), January 24, 2020
On December 2, 2019, a meeting was held with Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso, president of the Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to present a project of Christian-Muslim Marian dialogue: the "International Marian Muslim-Christian Commission." The founding members are: HE Carlos Avila Molina, Imam Dr. Nader Akkad, Prof. Gian Matteo Roggio, Dr. Paolo Cancelli, P. Stefano Cecchin, Gilberto Cavazos.
Mary in the Secular Press
Quakes severely damage historic Puerto Rico convent of Sisters of Fatima (Crux Catholic Media) January 22, 2020
To an island still recovering from the devastation Hurricane Maria left behind in 2017, the repeated tremors, earthquakes, and aftershocks since December 28, 2019 have added another level of stress for Puerto Rico’s citizens, as well as its power plants and water plants.
Most of the quaking has been centered in the south and southwest parts of the island.
The towns of Yauco and Guanica especially have suffered immense damage to its buildings and roadways, and in between these towns is a small area that also has suffered much. It's Santa Rita, where the Dominican Sisters of Fatima live in a historic convent, which has been hit hard....