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In the News: November 30, 2015

By Michael Duricy



Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also see International Marian Research Institute news and updates.

ML/IMRI Features

Marian Events

Mary in the Catholic Press

Mary in the Secular Press

Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute Features

Updates

Mary Pyper sent us the following Radio Maria news:

Hi All! Happy Thanksgiving!!! And how thankful I am for all of you and for this new Radio Maria signal for Dayton!! 

Things are moving on the 103.3 FM signal for Dayton!! We are almost there!! We are doing some more testing this week with a new antenna so the signal should be stronger and clearer. Please let us know how it sounds as you drive around town and if you can get it in your home. We have raised over $6,000 so far to support this signal and have also submitted a proposal for a Grant. Please keep praying that it becomes a reality!!

Immediately below is information about a last-minute fundraising opportunity we grabbed to raise some funds for 103.3 FM. Please share this news with others. It truly is a great Catholic Event!! Where else can you be with hundreds of people singing Christmas and Catholic songs?! Teenagers are especially affected by this artist's conversion story! I hope you can all come to the Concert. Many thanks and blessings!

Christmas Concert: National Recording Artist, Michael Russell O'Brien, is back with his "one man show" of classic Catholic music hits and humorous stories of his conversion back to the faith. Shows are scheduled for December 1 in Springfield, Ohio at St. Bernard's Church, December 2 in Dayton/Beavercreek at Queen of Apostles Church/Bergamo, and December 3 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Minster, Ohio. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and the concert starts at 6:45 p.m. For more information, contact Jeannette 937-307-5577. Good will offering supports Radio Maria 1600 AM/88.7 FM and 103.3 FM.

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Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.

National Geographic to publish Marian article in their magazine and to broadcast a companion piece in their Explorer series

When National Geographic decided to devote the December 2015 cover story to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, they turned to the International Marian Research Institute/Marian Library for expertise.


Father Bert Buby, S.M., and Father Johann Roten, S.M., are quoted in the story, which hits newsstands November 24. A companion television program, The Cult of Mary will air Sunday, December 13, through the National Geographic Explorer series.

In the meantime, you can read the story and view a variety of multimedia on the National Geographic website "How the Virgin Mary Became the World's Most Powerful Woman."

Author, Maureen Orth, contacted him earlier this year, says Buby, because of the trilogy he wrote on Mary. Orth traveled to Dayton in March and spent a day with him in The Marian Library, learning from faculty and students there.

Orth and Buby even attended Mass together at the Chaminade Chapel.

He understands why interest in Mary and Marian apparitions continue to fascinate the world.

"Mary continues to exist in a real way," he said. "She's a universal type of woman."

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From the Marian Treasure Chest

Brother John M. Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below along with the following comments: "Below is a brief reflection about Advent. Come, Lord Jesus!"

Advent: Season of Anticipation by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

The season of Advent has a twofold character, a double meaning. Advent prepares us for Christmas, the celebration of Christ's first coming to us. And it also reminds us to direct our minds and hearts to be prepared for Christ's second coming at the end of time.

In Christian usage the word "advent" (adventus) has a special liturgical significance, but the origin of the word is pagan.        

At the time of Jesus' birth, the pagans observed a manifestation of their pagan divinity that came to dwell in its temple at a certain time each year. This pagan feast was called advent, and it marked an anniversary of the return of their pagan god to the temple. During this special time the temple was open.  Ordinarily the temple was closed.

In the days of the Roman emperor, advent also celebrated the coming of the emperor.

The word "advent" was suitable to describe the coming of the Son of God in the temple of his flesh. Gradually the use of this word was limited to describe the coming of the Lord. This advent, the coming of the Lord and the anniversary of his birth, replaced the advent and birth of the unvanquished sun of the winter solstice. This use of the word "advent" gained prominence during the reign of the Emperor Constantine (306-337). To grant tolerance to all religions and to allow the open practice of Christianity, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313. As Christian feasts were adopted and celebrated, pagan festivals were soon replaced and forgotten.

The ancient idea of advent underlies the prayers of Advent that call forth the coming of the Lord, often with the same image of the temple.

Now Advent signals a time to prepare for Christmas, the celebration of the first coming of the Lord. But the prayer texts and Scripture readings of the Sunday Masses and the Liturgy of the Hours give ample attention to the second coming of the Lord to which we look forward.

In reality the three distinct accents of the Liturgy of the Advent season are defined by the three comings of the Lord: yesterday, at Bethlehem, when the Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary; today, in our world, where he is incarnate in the Church, in the sacraments, and in the faithful baptized into grace; tomorrow, when he returns in glory.

This, then, is the rich meaning of Advent. From the beginning of the liturgical year we celebrate the whole panorama of the mystery of salvation history.

The variety of this season is not only desirable, it is truly appropriate because Advent is oriented toward the one who has come once for all, who is coming, and who will come.

Marian Events

Advent Evening of Recollection

Dec. 3 from 7--9 pm,  Si Lounge, Sieben Hall, Mount Saint John

You and your friends are cordially invited to an Advent evening of recollection focused on the Annunciation-Incarnation. An interconnection with our celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy comes from Thomas Merton who wrote: "Yet the best thing of all is the love of the Virgin Mother of God, who never offended Him, but who received from Him the greatest mercy of all: that of knowing her nothingness in the midst of the greatest perfection, and of being the poorest of all the saints because she was the richest." (No Man Is An Island, p. 209) Bergamo's Jubilee Retreat Guide, Anthony Franchina, who was taught how to lead Ignatian meditations by the Jesuits while working at Georgetown University, will facilitate this prayerful experience complete with an Application of the Senses. You may register for this free will offering event by calling the Bergamo Center at 937-426-2363 or online at the Bergamo Center website: http://www.bergamocenter.org/ [under the Jubilees tab]. Or go directly to the Eventbrite registration.

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Mary in the Catholic Press

Vatican Christmas Tree to Be Unveiled at Start of Jubilee of Mercy from Zenit (Rome) November 17, 2015

Since the Jubilee of Mercy starts on Dec. 8, the Vatican Christmas tree will be unveiled early, to coincide with the beginning of the special year.

Vatican Radio reported that the Governorate of the Holy See decided to move the unveiling earlier. 

This year's tree, donated by the German region of Bavaria, is a two pointed Spruce, which stands 32 meters (105 ft) tall. The tree will arrive on November 18 and will be erected overnight by the staff of the Vatican Gardens.

The crib scene and figures will be donated by the Archdiocese of Trento, collaborating with the Friends of the Crib of Tesero group. The 24 life-sized figures will make up the various scenes at the base of the tree. Apart from the figures of Mary, Joseph, the Child, and the three Magi, other figures will represent the various Trentino nations, complete with accurate representations of rural buildings and typical Trentino clothing from the mid-twentieth century....

Click here to read the complete article.

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Mary in the Secular Press

The director and editors of All About Mary under the auspices of the International Marian Research Institute do not necessarily endorse or agree with the events and ideas expressed in this feature. Our sole purpose is to report on items about Mary gleaned from a myriad of papers representing the secular press.

Christmas and Beyond (University of Dayton News) October 26, 2015

The University of Dayton will celebrate Christmas and Beyond with its annual exhibit of Nativities from around the world and the installation of a new model train display built to tell the story of Jesus' young life. At the Manger: Christmas and Beyond runs from Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, to Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, inside Roesch Library. It is free and open to the public.

"We want to make sure people understand that when we talk about the Nativity, it's not only a representation of the Holy Family surrounded by shepherds, kings and oxen. We want to put the Nativity as we traditionally know it into a broader context--historically speaking, but also from the point of view of meaning and significance," said the Rev. Johann Roten, S.M., Marian Library director of research and special projects....

Click here to read the entire article.

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Weekly Features: November 30, 2015

One candle has been lit. This week's content focuses on Advent and the Immaculate Conception.
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Weekly Features: November 30, 2015

One candle has been lit. This week's content focuses on Advent and the Immaculate Conception.
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