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Mary in the News: March 18, 2019

By Michael Duricy

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

Marian Library and International Marian Research Institute Features

Updates

2019 Meeting of the Mariological Society of America

This year's topic is: The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Call to Holiness. The meeting will convene May 14-17 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette Retreat Center in Attleboro, MA.  We hope that you will be able to join us for lively discussions about the Blessed Mother.  

You may find the brochure and registration form at the following links on the MSA website:

Brochure
Registration Form

During this season of Lent, let us respond to our call to holiness and prepare to stand by the foot of the cross with Mary our Mother.

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

Book Suggestion for the Feast of Saint Joseph: The Holy Family, Model not Exception

The communion of love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the source from which love in the human family springs, according to contemporary Catholic Theology.  The Holy Family, from the Middle Ages in Europe, was considered the earthly Trinity, but because there was no conjugal intercourse it was considered the exception.  In this book, Mary Shivanandan argues that Christ is the model for all human love in His conforming to the Father's will.  The Holy Family, with Christ at the center is, therefore, the model for all baptized human families.  Shivanandan traces how the family as a communion of persons came about and is lived in Western culture along with distortions which affect it today.

Until the role of Joseph as husband and father, and a philosophy of the person and communion of persons--both of which matured in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries--were developed, a full understanding of the Holy Family and, by corollary, the human family as a communion of persons imaging divine Trinitarian communion could not come about.  Central to the author's theme is the understanding of the human person as gift and his/her fulfillment as self-gift to God and/or another human being, especially according to the teaching of St. John Paul II.  The Holy Family witnesses both to celibacy for the kingdom and human spousal love.

In the central portion of the book, the author spells out what it means to be a communion of persons, both in the Holy Family, and in other human families.  The person, both as man or woman, is in a unique relationship with God.  Sexual difference, while intrinsic to the person made in God's image, never obscures the equality of his/her being a person whose freedom is fundamental.  The spousal relation, while giving different roles to man and woman, must always respect, especially, the personhood of the woman.  Similarly, motherhood and fatherhood have distinct gifts and tasks.  The bodily nursing of the infant by the mother in imitation of Mary, is particularly emphasized.  The importance of the child is stressed since our destiny is to be adopted children of the Father.

More information

From the Marian Treasure Chest

Brother John Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below with the following comments: "Saint Joseph is our father in faith and head of the Holy Family.  Honor this father."

Saint Joseph in Perspective by Brother John Samaha, S.M.

To appreciate Saint Joseph properly we need a clear perspective with more than historical facts from Holy Scripture and Tradition.  In fact, we know very little historically about the man who raised Jesus.             

The three critical instances recorded about Joseph's life are his betrothal to Mary, learning that Mary is with child, and the revelation in a dream about Mary's condition.  This ordinary worker and righteous Jew was a carpenter building useful things for others and to honor God.  These special moments teach us about the transition from the Old Law to the New Law and the hope it brings.  They indicate the shift that must take place in our own lives when God asks us to do the extraordinary and unimaginable.

Fascinating insights into the character of Joseph come to us when we observe him through various lenses as spouse of Mary, father of Jesus, man of obedience, man of faith, man of hope, man of charity, man of courage, man of poverty, man of purity, man of prayer, man of patience,  man of labor, man of virtue, man of the church, shepherd, protector, and guardian.  Then we understand better why God chose Joseph to help raise Jesus with Mary.  Jesus needed an earthly father who was mature in age and wisdom, and would have the attributes needed to cope with the challenges of parenting the Son of God.

Joseph was head of a household that sheltered the most extraordinary persons.  His overarching intention was to care for Jesus and Mary because in doing so he was serving God.  Every service for them was an expression of love and thanksgiving.  God entrusted Joseph with the greatest and most unimaginable gift.  And Joseph through his dedicated care returned the gift perfectly.  He was the man closest to Christ.

For us to observe Joseph as he raised Jesus is a lesson about the basic elements of our Catholic faith and presents a model of Christ-like living.  This is Joseph in proper perspective.

The Church honors Saint Joseph twice in its liturgical calendar: the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19, and the feast of Saint Joseph, the Worker, on May 1.

Marian Events

Title: Legion of Mary Senatus Acies 2019

Theme: Annual consecration to Jesus through Mary

Date: Sunday, March 24, 2019

Time: Business meeting starts at 1:30 pm; Acies Ceremony starts at 3:15 pm

Location: Saint Matthias Church, 1050 W. Kemper Road, Cincinnati, OH 45420

The Senatus business meeting will be held in the Parish Center.  All are welcome to attend.  The Acies Ceremony will be held with Benediction in the Church, but no Mass.  Immediately following tyhe ceremony, all are invited to a reception at La Rosa's Restaurant at 11711 Princeton Pike in Cincinnati, Ohio 45426.

Your RSVP would be helpful, especially send the number planning to attend by March 18, 2019.  For more information, contact the Praesidium President, Dr. Gloria Dodd, by phone at 937-229-1431 or by email at gdodd1@udayton.edu.

Mary in the Catholic Press

'From Mary, We Learn How to Be Next to the Suffering, With a Mother's Tenderness' (Zenit) March 18, 2018

Tenderness and Christianity must go hand in hand.

Pope Francis stressed this today, March 18, 2019, when addressing the Camillian Charismatic family, stressing how loving service to the sick, means being also tender.

Francis reminded them that they are accompanied and guided in their work to the ill by the Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick and Mother of the Consecrated.  "From Her," he expressed, "we learn how to be next to those that suffer with tenderness and the dedication of a mother.  I pause a bit on this word ‘tenderness.'" ...

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.

The Feast of the Annunciation in Nazareth (Custodia Terrae Sanctae website) March 30, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017, Nazareth celebrated its most important holiday: the Annunciation, a celebration full of traditions, meditation, joy, faith, and prayer.

During the vigil, on Friday, March 24, representatives of the Christian community gathered in the Grotto of the Annunciation, to welcome the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in his solemn entry into the Basilica and to pray the Vespers together.

After dark, many of the faithful gathered to pray and to contemplate the mystery of the place where the Angel announced to Mary that she would become the Mother of the Savior....

Complete article

Previous Post

Weekly Marian Features: March 18, 2019

Continuing to focus on Lent, we also honor Saint Joseph and his role in the Holy Family.
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Flowers of the Annunciation

Lilies and blossoming violets become symbols of the wonderment of the Annunciation.
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