Blogs
Mary in the News: April 21, 2021
By Michael Duricy
Marian Library and International Marian Research Institute Features
Updates
Mariological Society of America virtual conference May 11-14, 2021
You are invited to the 72nd annual meeting of the Mariological Society of America (MSA) that will be held online due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 situation. This year's conference will begin on the evening of Tuesday, May 11, 2021, and will end by noon on Friday, May 14. This year's theme is Mary and the Word of God.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Podcast on Virgin Most Powerful Radio about The Church and Private Revelations
In the episode aired on March 16, 2021, MSA member, Richard May, discussed judging Marian apparitions.
Marian Events
Title: Rosary Thursday
Theme: Sanctification of Priests
Date: April 29, 2021
Time: Noon Eastern time (USA)
Location: Online
On the last Thursday of each month The Worldpriest Global Apostolate is hosting a virtual Rosary Thursday. In 2002 Pope John Paul II invited Catholics to pray the Mysteries of Light on Thursdays. These mysteries focus on the public life of Jesus, the Light of the world. Included are: Jesus' Baptism; the Wedding Feast of Cana; His revealing of God's Kingdom; His Transfiguration; and the Institution of the Eucharist.
This prayer time for Rosary Thursday will take the form of a virtual Rosary at 6 p.m. local Rome time, being prayed for the sanctification of priests and the intentions of Pope Francis. Everyone around the world--regardless of their location--will be very welcome to join in this important time of prayer. However, all participants will need to register by simply clicking on the link below.
This virtual Rosary Thursday will make use of the Zoom platform. It will open at 17.40 hours, with a slide show selection of photographs from various Global Rosary prayer locations from around the world, before the prayers begin at 18.00 hours, concluding at 18.30 hours.
The following time zones will assist your time of prayer
USA/CANADA – Eastern Time: 12.00
USA/CANADA – Central Time: 11.00
CENTRAL EUROPEAN Time: 18.00
USA/CANADA – Mountain Time: 10.00
SOUTH AFRICA: – 19.00
USA/CANADA – Pacific Time: 09.00
UK/IRELAND: – 17.00
Mary in the Catholic Press
Year of Saint Joseph [usccb.org] April 21, 2021
Resources from the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to celebrate the current Year of Saint Joseph.
Mary in the Secular Press
Three-time Olympian shares her conversion story (Catholic World Report) April 17, 2021
Today, Dominique Dawes is a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist. back in 1996, she was a teenage girl feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Before the 1996 Olympic games, all of us, we were known as the Magnificent Seven being the first women's team to win gold. And I felt, and I'm sure my other six teammates felt that as well, a great deal of pressure," Dawes said in an April 8 interview with CNA.
"It was in the Georgia dome, (with) 50,000 people watching. 3.4 billion people, I've been told, watching worldwide," she said. "Prior to marching out ... I broke down emotionally. It was just like, 'Oh my gosh, this is too much for me. What if I make a mistake now? I'm not ready.' And this is something I had prepared for during my whole childhood."
Her team captain, Amanda Borden, knelt down beside her. And together, they prayed. Dawes said that moment of prayer grounded her. It reminded her that God was on her side, even in that moment of fear....
Dawes retired from gymnastics in 2000. Around the same time, she began to feel drawn to visit a Catholic church in the Rockville area of Washington.
"I would go and I would just sit in this church knowing very little about the Catholic faith, but I felt called to be there. I loved the sense of peace and silence," she said.
A few years later, Dawes enrolled in RCIA, and she fell deeper in love with the Catholic faith. She told CNA she felt a special connection with the Virgin Mary.
"I always felt as a young person, while my mom did the best that she could, and my coach who many times was labeled as a mother figure, neither of them were truly happy people," Dawes said. "I felt as if I wanted to find ... a mother who maybe was happy. Those loving arms that you can run into and just feel that sense of comfort and love, which I never felt as a child." ...