Blogs
Mary in the News: August 25, 2017
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
The next annual meeting of the Mariological Society of America (MSA) will be held May 15-18, 2018 at the Bergamo Center in Dayton, Ohio. The theme of this year's conference will be: The Blessed Virgin Mary's Relationship to the Sacraments of Healing and Christian Vocation. The Call for Papers will last until October 15, 2017.
Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
Documentary on Blessed Mary of Agreda
An important official from the Vatican is in San Angelo, Texas researching the ‘lady in blue’. Father Stefano Cecchin is a postulator. He gathers information on the cause for canonization of Blessed Mary of Agreda in the Catholic Church.
While in the Concho Valley his focus is on Sor Maria de Jesus de Agreda also known as 'The Lady in Blue.' "Because she had more than five-hundred apparitions here," says Father Cecchin.
During his research, he has had a film crew capturing his journey, for a documentary on "The Lady in Blue." For the past few days, Father Cecchin has toured places where she inspired Jumanos to become Christians....
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From the Marian Treasure Chest
The article below was sent by Brother John Samaha with the following comment: "August 29 is the anniversary of Father Emile Neubert's passage to eternity. He is an extraordinary apostle of Mary in the spirit of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade."
Homage to Father Emile Neubert, S.M. (1878-1967) by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
On August 29 we mark the anniversary of the entrance to eternity of Father Emile Neubert, Marianist extraordinaire. The Marianist Family offers tribute to this outstanding Marianist who was a renowned Mariologist and also a collaborator with Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary, and with St. Maximilian Kolbe in promoting the honor of Mary. Additionally, the anniversary of his death reminds us of his voluminous contribution to treasured Marianist writings about Mary and Marianist spirituality.
For more than a quarter century, Father Neubert served as rector of the Marianist International Seminary in Fribourg, Switzerland. Earlier, his groundbreaking dissertation about the patristic theology on Mary in the pre-Nicene Church was hailed as the first doctoral dissertation in theology centered on the Blessed Virgin Mary. His Marian scholarship and writing earned him membership in the Pontifical International Marian Academy based in Rome, and singular recognition in the Mariological Society of France. He also enjoyed the reputation of a valued spiritual director. Father Peter Resch, one of his former students, characterized him as the "foremost doctor of Mariology among the sons of William Joseph Chaminade."
A fellow countryman and contemporary, Most Reverend Paul Richaud, Archbishop of Paris, wrote to Father Neubert these thoughts of appreciation when the original French edition of La Mission Apostolique de Marie et la Notre first appeared in 1956. "It is always a grace for me to read your work. You excel in clear and simple words which contain a solid and profound teaching. Our dear Father Chaminade ... has bequeathed to you a real charisma for speaking of the Blessed Virgin. Drawing close to Mary under your guidance means approaching with ease and in complete security to the very channel of grace.... [This particular book] underscores an aspect of devotion to the Blessed Virgin which has not been sufficiently emphasized and responds in a most suitable way to the concerns of today's Christians.... You show the chosen and irreplaceable role which Mary holds in any apostolic endeavor."
Archbishop Richaud stated further: "'Do whatever he tells you.' It is only the Mother who can make us attentive and responsive to Jesus' directives.... The apostolate is an art. Everything depends on the way it is done. It is only the Mother of Jesus who knows the ways of Jesus.... The apostolate is a sublime form of parenting. It is only the Mother of souls ... who can obtain for us this grace."
The North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS) has in stock English translations of books by Father Emile Neubert.
Dipping into the works of Father Neubert and using them to enhance our Marianist apostolic life is a way of offering our homage of respect and affection for this revered apostle of Mary.
Marian Events
Twenty-First Annual Mariological Symposium
Theme: Five-Hundred Years of History and Faith of Protestantism
Location: Marianum, Viale Trenta Aprile, 6 - 00153 Roma
Date: October 3-6, 2017
The program will include the presentation of the fifteenth Pro Ancilla Domini award and the inauguration of the new library at the Marianum. For more information email marianum@marianum.it.
Mary in the Catholic Press
Young People, the Sick and Newlyweds: Contemplate the Virgin Mary. (Zenit website) August 23, 2017
Pope Francis exhorted young people, the sick and newlyweds, whom he greeted at the General Audience on August 23, 2017, to contemplate the Virgin Mary.
The Holy Father recalled the feast of the Assumption, last August 15, and that of the Queenship of Mary , observed on August 22, upon concluding the meeting in Paul VI Hall. "Let us raise our gaze to Heaven to contemplate the splendor of the Holy Mother of God," he invited.
"Cultivate sincere devotion to her, so that she will be by your side in your daily existence," he added.
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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.
Polish archbishop thinks Vatican will recognize Medjugorje apparitions (Catholic News Service) August 22, 2017
A Polish archbishop who inspected Bosnia-Herzegovina's Medjugorje shrine for the pope predicted the Vatican will soon recognize its Marian apparitions.
"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has passed all documentation to the Secretariat of State--everything suggests the apparitions will be accepted before the year ends," said Archbishop Henryk Hoser.
"It's difficult to believe the six visionaries have been lying for thirty-six years," the archbishop said. "What they say is coherent, and none is mentally disturbed, while the apparitions' faithfulness to church doctrine is also a powerful argument for their authenticity."
The archbishop spoke as he completed a report from his spring mission to the hilltop shrine, which has not been officially recognized by the church despite 2.5 million pilgrims annually....
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