Thursday, May 25, 1999, 9:00 a.m. Registration

Two Documents for the Jubilee: The Shrine and The Pilgrimage

Marian Pilgrimage in Anthropological Perspective

Contemporary Pilgrimage The Schoenstatt Experience

Business Meeting – Elections, 3:00 p.m.

Works in Progress/Recent Dissertations , 3:15 p.m.

Eucharistic Liturgy, Shrine Church , 5:00 p.m.

Friday, May 26, 2000

Marian Shrines as Places of Encounter, Welcome, and Refuge

Marian Devotion for the New Millennium

Survey of Recent Mariology

May 100 Years Ago

A century ago, a Marienkalender (Marian Almanac, Regensburg, Germany) was published. Over 200 pages were devoted to articles, pilgrimages, and things Marian in general. Mary Page editors found the cover and images of the hundred-year-old journal to be of special interest in this year dedicated, at the turn of the millennium, to the Trinity. Note the trinitarian image for the coronation of Mary. Note also how Mary presents her Divine Child, who teaches the small group of devoted listeners. Note the pilgrimage procession and the many symbols of Marian flowers. The script banners read: "The angels rejoice and praise her name."

Mary in the Secular Press

Commentary on Mary in various news articles from April 10 - 26, 2000.

The director and editors of Mary Page 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 Virgin Mary's rapturous hymn at the Annunciation was juxtaposed with the ecstasy of the saints and apostles on beholding Christ's empty tomb in an Easter Day concert at London's Barbican Hall, the Guardian reported on April 25. Paul McCreesh's Gabrieli Consort and Players performed Bach's Magnificat alongside his Easter Oratorio in a "moving, exhilarating concert which fleetingly contained the entirety of Christian revelation."

• Business is booming for the only bistro in the red-light district in Pigalle with a statue of the Virgin Mary in its window. The Bistro du Curée, at first a safe haven for hungry Pigalle workers of all walks of life, is now the last word in gastronomic chic, the London Sunday Times said on April 23. Father Dominique Rey, who runs the bistro with his Catholic volunteers, explained, "We think it is important to reach out to people who never set foot in church. So we offer a marriage between food and prayer."

• Italian police warned that an attempt to blow up one of Italy's most popular and revered shrines to the Virgin Mary could signal a campaign by "anti-clerical militants" to disrupt Easter celebrations being attended by millions of pilgrims, the London Times reported on April 22. The Renaissance shrine at Loreto, near Ancona on the Adriatic coast, is built over what is said to be the home of Mary, flown by angels to Italy in the 13th century.

• About 50,000 pilgrims annually visit the 80-year-old shrine of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes and tucked on an eroding hillside in suburban Euclid, the Cleveland Plain Deal reported on April 16. "This is a place where anyone can come and find God if they lost him somewhere," said Sister Phyllis Ann, who leads the community of nuns responsible for the shrine. Sister Anastasia, 83, believes that "Many people have been healed here."

• Parishioners from Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Cathedral, damaged by fire April 3, celebrated Easter in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at Exhibition Place, the Toronto Star reported on April 26. "We are being reborn from the ashes," Rev. Peter Avgeropoulos said. Donations continue to pour into a fund set up to restore the church, which sustained more than $2 million in damages. Money raised will pay for things not covered by insurance.

• A lecture on "The Virgin Mary, Coatlicue and Pachamama: Thoughts on the Sacred Feminine in Latin America" was to be presented April 24 at the University of New Mexico by Linda B. Hall , history professor and director of the Latin American studies program at the university, the Albuquerque Tribune reported on April 20.

Items Revisited

In Memoriam: Rev. Frederick M. Jelly, OP, Professor at the International Marian Research Institute

Fr. Fred Jelly, long a professor during the summer program of the International Marian Research Institute, passed away on Friday, April 14, 2000. Fr. Jelly had suffered a collapse in May 1999 from which he recuperated and was able to return to his position and teaching and priestly formation during the second semester of the academic year at Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He had even made plans to travel to Dayton during the Easter break to discuss future projects.

Fr. Jelly was internationally known for his writings, ecumenical involvement, audio recordings, teaching, and speaking engagements in marian theological studies. In 1998, he received an honor dating back to the early days of the Dominican Order. The honor is entitled, Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.), and is awarded to those Dominicans who have rendered special service to the Church by their scholarly defense and promoting of our Catholic faith. Fr. Jelly was awarded the honor mainly for his work in mariology.

Mary and the Easter Season