Blogs

By Kayla Harris

The Marian Fellowships are a collaborative endeavor from the Marian Library and the International Marian Research Institute (IMRI) to support research and artistic creation using the Marian Library’s collections and the expertise of IMRI scholars.

VISITING SCHOLAR FELLOWSHIP

Jacob Phillips, a professor of systematic theology at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, England, and the director of its Institute of Theology and Liberal Arts, will work on a project to study both the theology and the piety of mid-20th-century Mariology in the United States. 

He states in his proposal, “As well as a scholarly neglect of distinctively American contributions to Mariology, I would add that the tenor of American piety is highly distinctive, localized, and equally overlooked in Europe — and indeed contains much that should be understood better.” 

During his fellowship, Phillips will explore the archival materials related to the late Father Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M. In a 1955 Marian Library Newsletter, Carol seems to have been the first to use the phrase “American Mariology.” Additionally, Phillips will consult with resources related to the late theologian and Mariologist Father Peter Damian Fehlner, O.F.M. Conv. 

GRADUATE SCHOLAR FELLOWSHIP

Austin Cruz, a doctoral student in the theology program at the University of Notre Dame, will conduct research in connection with his dissertation, “History, Hagiography, and Canonization: Juan Diego and the Cult of the Saints.” His dissertation examines the history of devotion to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatotatzin, the visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the first canonized saint indigenous to the Americas.

Cruz will consult a variety of the Marian Library’s primary and secondary sources, one of which is the only copy in the United States. One of his recommenders noted, “His thorough analysis of Nahuatl texts, canonization documents, and contemporary sources will give us new insights into the hagiography of Juan Diego and Guadalupe, making it a contribution of the highest academic caliber.” 

RESIDENT SCHOLAR FELLOWSHIP

Teresa Saxton, a senior lecturer in the English department at the University of Dayton, will focus on a pedagogical project to investigate the use of the Marian Library archival collections for humanities seminars that will be launched this fall. These seminars have students read primary texts closely and critically; analyze through writing larger historical conversations and traditions to understand human identity, dignity and experience; develop an understanding of their place in the community, the country and the world in relationship to multiple others; and engage with the central concepts of Catholic intellectual tradition.

Saxton, who has frequently worked with archives and special collections materials in the classroom, explained in her proposal, “While these humanities seminars are still in the drafting process, their central goal is to integrate the use of primary texts, analysis, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Marian Library seems a perfect resource for many of these courses … to create a deep humanistic study that integrates deep reading and process writing skills.” 

During her fellowship, Saxton will review a variety of archival collections with an eye toward particular traits that make them well suited for first-year students. She states, “My hope is to use the summer to draft assignments for my own classes but also a range of models for those teaching the humanities seminars that might be newer to teaching reading and writing as a skill or unpracticed in using archives in their classroom.” 

MORE INFORMATION

The application for the 2026 summer fellowships will open in October. More information about the fellowships, including reflections from previous recipients, is available on the Marian Library website. 

— Kayla Harris is an associate professor and director of the Marian Library.