Blogs
In the News: Dec. 10, 2016
By Michael Duricy
Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also see International Marian Research Institute news and updates.
Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute Features
Updates
ESBVM-USA July 2017 Conference Call for Papers Has Extended The Due Date!
Good news! For those who are interested in presenting at the ESBVM USA July 2017 conference, but have not had the time to put a proposal together, the submission deadline has been extended.
The Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary USA (ESBVM USA) exists to advance the study of Mary, the Mother of Christ, in Christian biblical and spiritual perspectives, and in the light of such study, to promote ecumenical interchange and prayer. Its aim is to show that in Mary, Christians of many traditions may find a focus in their search for unity. The ESBVM was formed by Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Orthodox, and Presbyterian Scholars and is open to all Christians.
PROPOSAL DUE DATE: January 31, 2017
Conference Theme: Mary, Disciple of the Lord: Prayer and Holiness
Conference Dates: July 12–15, 2017 (Wed. evening through Sat. morning).
Conference Location: Misericordia University in Dallas, PA (near Scranton)
Submission Guidelines and Requirements:
The paper proposal should be in .DOC or .DOCX format and must include:
1. Presentation Title
2. Presenter's name, professional affiliation (e.g., university or church name), and status (undergrad, grad. student, Ph.D. candidate, faculty, pastor, etc.)
3. Contact information (e-mail address, daytime telephone)
4. Abstract (350-500 words)
5. Equipment needs
The overall theme for the conference is "Mary, Disciple of the Lord: Prayer and Holiness." This theme may be approached through a variety of avenues appropriate to your field of study, interests, and particular Christian tradition. The following are some suggestions for different scriptural, systematic, anthropological, liturgical, artistic or historical approaches to help get you started. This is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add to it.
- Scriptural study of Mary's "pondering" in Luke 2:19 or the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55.
- Historical or systematic study of writings by the Early Church Fathers on Mary and prayer, holiness, and the interior life.
- Historical study of Mary as a model of prayer and holiness in a particular tradition, such as Anglicanism.
- The thoughts of Protestant reformers on Mary as a holy example.
- Contemporary developments in Protestant thought and practice regarding Mary as an example of holiness for Christians, new Lutheran Marian feast days, or ecumenical Marian celebrations such as those at the shrine in Walsingham, England on the Feast of the Assumption.
- Commentary on a particular contemporary theologian or author who wrote about Marian prayer and/or Mary as an example of holiness.
- The theology of particular Marian prayers.
- Marian references in the liturgy.
- Mary as teacher of prayer and advancement in the interior life for contemporary society.
- Mary's holiness as portrayed in the visual, performing, or literary arts
Please submit proposals to the review committee at Maura.hearden@desales.edu.
TOPMary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Recent Book on the "New Feminism"
From the Marian Treasure Chest
Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Battle of Lepanto by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
Did you know that Our Lady of Guadalupe was at the Battle of Lepanto?
Forty years after La Morenita appeared to St. Juan Diego in the sixteenth century, she may have been responsible for a significant turning point in the history of Western Civilization. Throughout Europe copies of her holy image had been circulated. One of the first copies was given to Admiral Giovanni Andrea Doria, grandnephew of the renowned Admiral Andrea Doria. The young admiral took the picture aboard his flagship when he assumed command of a flotilla of ships sailing from Genoa to the Gulf of Lepanto. Some three-hundred Turkish Muslim ships stood in battle array blocking entrance to the Gulf. A Christian-massed-navy of almost the same number of ships attempted to meet the Turks head on, but were outmaneuvered.
Doria's squadron was cut off from the rest of the Christian fleet. At this crucial hour Doria went to his cabin and knelt in prayer before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He implored her to save his men and his ships. Miraculously by nightfall the tide of battle turned. One Turkish squadron was captured and others were thrown into panic and disarray. That day 15,000 Christians enslaved in the Turks' galleys were freed.
The Christian victory in the Battle of Lepanto was the last great naval battle fought under oars.
TOPMarian Events
Event: Holy Fools and Wonderworkers: Saints of the Orthodox Faith
Date: November 19, 2016 - February 26, 2017
Place: Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union Street, Clinton, Massachusetts 01510
Visit the largest collection of Russian icons in North America. Please be aware that this museum has many Marian icons.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Pope Francis has chosen the themes for the next three World Youth Days (Pontificium Consilium pro Familia) Dec 8, 2016
The spiritual path indicated by Pope Francis to the young continues along the line of reflection begun at the last three World Youth Days (2014-16), which focused on the Beatitudes and culminated at last summer's celebration in Krakow.
For the next three years, with a path that will lead to the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama, the Holy Father wants to present the Virgin Mary to young people as a model of an accomplished life. As we know, the Mother of the Lord is the one whom all generations will call blessed (cf. Lk 1:49).
The theme chosen for the thirty-second World Youth Day, which will be celebrated locally in 2017 on Palm Sunday, are the words of the Canticle of the Magnificat "The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name." (Lk 1:49)
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God" (Lk 1:30) is the theme for the thirty-third World Youth Day, to be celebrated in 2018.
The thirty-fourth World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in Panama in 2019, will be on the theme: "I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38)
In the speech prepared for the meeting with the World Youth Day volunteers in Krakow, Pope Francis highlighted the attitudes of Jesus' Mother and described her as a model to be imitated. Then, speaking informally on that occasion, the Holy Father urged the young to recall the past, have courage for the present, and to have/be hope for the future.
The three themes announced thus aim to give the spiritual journey toward the next World Youth Days a strong Marian connotation, while recalling the image of the young on a journey leading from the past (2017), through the present (2018), and to the future (2019), and animated by the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
The path proposed to the young is also visibly in harmony with the reflection that Pope Francis has entrusted to the next Synod of Bishops: Young People, Faith, and Vocation.
Click here to read the complete article.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.
Miami archbishop recalls Catholic persecution in Cuba, prays for peace (Catholic News Service) November 29, 2016
On the day the news of Fidel Castro's death spread, Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami was one of the first Catholic Church officials to respond early November 26.
"Fidel Castro is dead," he wrote in a statement. "The death of this figure should lead us to invoke the patroness of Cuba, the Virgin of Charity, calling for peace for Cuba and its people."
Later that day at Ermita de la Caridad, a Miami shrine that honors Cuba's patron, Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, and one that was built, he said in his homily, "with the sacrifices of the [Cuban] exiles," he focused on the suffering of Catholic Cuba and the news of Castro's death....
Click here to read the complete article.