News Archives

Updates

Father James H. Phalan, CSC, Vice-President of the Mariological Society of America sent the following information:

Dear Friends,

In about a month the Catholic Church will celebrate a wonderful event that will bring together more than one million young people from every continent to deepen and share their faith and hope in Our Lord Jesus.  World Youth Day, Madrid, August 16-21, will be great moment to a proclaim the Gospel, the Good News. to the whole world.

To prepare for this event, since the beginning of May thousands of people across the globe have been joined in a campaign to pray for the gifts of Holy Spirit.  This initiative, FIRM IN THE FAITH WITH MARY, invites people everywhere to PRAY THE ROSARY ON SATURDAYS for WORLD YOUTH DAY.  It is a simple but powerful act, done in deep faith.

Please visit www.firminfaith.org.  Through this website you will find many fine resources to help you pray and to grow closer to Christ with Mary.

FIRM IN THE FAITH WITH MARY has full approval and support of the World Youth Day Organization in Madrid and the Pontifical Councils for the Laity and for Social Communications of the Vatican.

Many people in many countries are united in prayer.  PLEASE HELP STRENGTHEN THIS EFFORT by inviting more people of all ages to pray on the Saturdays that remain.  Please share this message verbally, by email, in your parishes: however you can.

Please use social networks and other media.  You can post something like: World Youth Day, Madrid, August 16-21 is almost here: a great event for celebrating our Faith in Christ!  Pray the Rosary each Saturday for it: see FIRM IN THE FAITH WITH MARY: www.firminfaith.org

Thank you and God bless you for your support.

Rev. James Phalan, CSC
Coordinator, FIRM IN THE FAITH WITH MARY

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Mary in Books, Films, and Music

IMRI graduate does Marian podcasts

Dr. Virginia M. Kimball, President of the ESBVM-USA, recently taught a course on Christian Mysticism.  As a result she was interviewed for two podcasts about women mystics, numbers 100 and 101 for Among Women, the section dedicated to the Virgin Mary on Pat Gohn's website.  Dr. Kimball also presented the first two podcasts for Among Women on the topic of Mary.  These are available in the archive of Gohn's site.

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Radio Maria from The Marian Library

Summer is traditionally a slow time for donations but this year is even slower!  We urgently need your help to pay the bills and make necessary repairs.  Please pray about how you are being called to help Our Blessed Mother reach those in need.  If we give, she will surely multiply our Blessings.  She always does!  Just click here to donate and pass this info on to friends and family on your email list.  TODAY you can HELP Radio Maria with your donations, prayers, and sacrifices and help save souls.  Thank you for generously answering her call!

Francesca Franchina, MS Ed., a long-time member of the Marianist Family, will be doing a series of Marian broadcasts through the local stations for Radio Maria WHJM (FM 88.7) in Anna, Ohio and WULM (AM 1600) in Springfield, Ohio.  Called "Francesca and Friends: Why Mary?," the program airs every Wednesday from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST focusing on what is going on in the world about Mary, how to speak with others about Mary, and Mary in Scripture.

On Wednesday, July 20, 2011, Francesca Franchina discusses Marian interests in evangelization: Mary Star of Evangelization; Why Mary?; What did she say at La Salette, Kibehoe and Akita?; Why was she crying?; the effect of Marian apparitions, and increased interest into the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in redemption with guests and callers.

Francesca and Friends with Francesca Franchina, National OSIA Trustee, is now being broadcast throughout the New York City metropolitan area at 11 pm on Friday nights on WSNR 620 AM, as well as on other local  Radio Maria USA frequencies,  and streaming on radiomaria.us.  This is the replay of the program originating on the preceding Wednesday at noon EST.  Give a listen every Friday at 11 PM; Mondays at 8:30 PM and LIVE on Wednesdays at noon EST.

The broadcast may also be heard on-line at radiomaria.us  The website also provides access to some previous broadcasts.  We'll keep you informed about future programs.  An encore of each show is broadcast Monday night from 8:30-9:30 pm EST one week after the original.

Fran's series, Through the Tummy to the Heart, (T5H) airs every Tuesday from 5:00-5:45 PM on RADIO MARIA WHJM and also online. The series encores Saturdays from 3:00-3:45 pm.  Tune in 88.7 FM (WHJM) in the northern Archdiocese of Cincinnati and on line at radiomaria.us from anywhere in the world. Send email to Francesca with questions, comments, suggestions at fran@866333mary.com. Send email while the programs are going on if you cannot get through or if you are listening outside of the USA. CALL IN TOLL-FREE; PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM (during the live show); 1-866-333-6279.

On Tuesday, July 19, Francesca discusses the theology and devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus, for the month devoted to the Most Precious Blood.  Part IV: Why this devotion and understanding the theology of the Precious Blood of Jesus are so important.  How this helps humanity and each person individually.

Francesca Franchina shares her family's traditions, customs and foods.  Today's Recipe: Pasta with broccoli and Italian tuna salad with refreshing lemon.

Send a SASE to Francesca; P O Box 3238, Dayton, OH 45401 for the St. Michael the Archangel and Precious Blood of Jesus Novena and Prayer or for Francesca's Italian Recipe of the Week.

This program and all Francesca's programs are archived on-line.

Living with Mary Today! Live: Thursdays and Fridays 2:30-3:00 PM EST: From the Pontifical International Marian Research Institute (IMRI) at the University of Dayton Marian Library, internationally-known Mariologists Fathers Bertrand Buby, François Rossier, Johann Roten, and Thomas Thompson of the Society of Mary (Marianists), and other IMRI faculty; Michael Duricy, Jean Frisk, Danielle Peters, and others will discuss Marian themes such as The Blessed Mother and Ecumenism; Mary and The Family; Mary and Suffering, Marian Teachings and Writings of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI; Mary and Scripture from the Founder of the Marianists, Blessed William Joseph Chaminade; Mary and Vatican II, Marian Apparitions, and others.  The Marian Library at the University of Dayton houses the largest collection of Marian books and artifacts in the world, and IMRI is one of the two sites of post-graduate studies in Mariology for the STL and STD. Find out more by visiting marypage.org.  The University of Dayton; The Marian Library, and IMRI are collaborators with the International Satellite Radio Maria Network and Radio Maria Ohio.  Click here for the tentative schedule of future programs planned to date.  Click here for the new audio archive!

This week's program:

Father Thomas Buffer, Thursday, July 21, 2:30 PM on Mary and the Fathers of the Church

Father Bertrand Buby, S.M., Friday, July 22, 2:30 PM on Saints Ann and Joachim

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From the Marian Treasure Chest

Vatican II: Fifty Years and Still Challenging by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

When we observed the Pauline Year in 2009, we also marked the half-century anniversary of the convocation of Vatican II.  Fifty years earlier, on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, January 25, 1959, Pope John Paul XXIII had announced the convocation of a general council for the universal Church.  And the Second Vatican Council was born.  Blessed John XXIII had been pope for fewer than one hundred days.  Trembling with emotion, he issued the call for an ecumenical council in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in the presence of seventeen cardinals of the Curia and other Church servants.

The immediate reaction was--silence.  Later Pope John mentioned that he expected the cardinals to be elated and overjoyed with enthusiasm.  But this was not the case.  Quickly and from various parts of the world several cardinals expressed skepticism, saying this was "a rash and impulsive decision," "a hornet’s nest," and "premature, senseless, and doomed in advance to failure."  But history quickly exposed their poor judgment, and John XXIII's dauntless confidence in the working of the Holy Spirit bore rich fruit.

Now in 2012 we observe the fiftieth anniversary of the opening session of Vatican II.

A significant anniversary

Three years of preparation led to the four sessions of Vatican II, which began in 1962 and concluded in 1965.  Blessed John XXII passed to his eternal reward after the first session, and Pope Paul VI presided over the remaining three sessions.

Three decades earlier Pope Pius XI had considered a general council, and in the early 1950s the same thought occupied Pope Pius XII.  But conditions were not right.  The 1959 announcement by John XXIII was welcomed by the majority of leading theologians, who wondered if this new council would be a continuation of Vatican I held almost a century earlier.  But the intrepid Dominican Yves Congar expressed the confidence that this would be a new council and not a continuation of Vatican I: "I saw in the council an opportunity for the recovery of the true meaning of the episcopacy and of ecclesiology.  This would be a pastoral council."

Many consider Vatican II a Pauline council.  The sixteen instructional and directional documents reveal theological insights imbued with many themes found in St. Paul's letters enlightening Biblical theology and spirituality, the theology of the church, the universal call to holiness, liturgical renewal, engaging contemporary society.  The revised liturgical year cycles of Scripture readings for Mass draw heavily from the letters of Paul.  And what authority is quoted most frequently in the documents of Vatican II?  None other than St. Paul the Apostle.

In the nascent Church, Paul played a prominent role in the epochal event we now call the Council of Jerusalem (Gal 2:1-10 and Acts 15:1-22).  Like Vatican II, the Council of Jerusalem dealt with challenging pastoral questions.  Paul, Titus, Barnabas, and others came to Jerusalem to meet with Peter, James, and other leaders of the apostolic Church to meld different but complementary charisms and gifts for the good and growth of the Church.  The Jerusalem Council is an early example of the very real interrelationship between the human and the divine in Christ's Church.  A similar interplay was experienced at the Second Vatican Council.

The Proper Perspective

The past is prologue, so with wisdom we recall the past as well as point to the future.  Today it is important to recall the insight of Blessed John Henry Newman at the time of the First Vatican Council (1870), that there is always a lack of historical perspective after an ecumenical council. "It is rare," Newman wrote, "for a council not to be followed by great confusion....  The century following each council has ever been a time of great trial ... and this seems likely to be no exception."

This perceived lack of historical perspective after Vatican II caused some observers to suggest erroneously that the Council rejected the historical consciousness of the Church in order to meet the needs of our contemporary world, overlooking history and tradition.  Pope Benedict XVI aptly described this as a "hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture" by which Vatican II is seen as an end of tradition, a new start from scratch, a history and a theology based on a false distinction between a "pre-conciliar Church" and a "post-conciliar Church."

Our faith reminds us that the Holy Spirit guided the Church through all the centuries before John XXIII's inspiration to convoke a council.  The Holy Spirit was with the Fathers of the Council during Vatican II.  The Holy Spirit has been with the church during the past fifty years as we gradually incorporated the Council's teachings.  And the Holy Spirit will be with the Church in all the years to come.  St. Paul made this crystal clear in his writings.  If we lose sight of this fundamental truth, we risk the confused thinking that the Holy Spirit would abandon Christ's Church.  But we know that the Holy Spirit, like Christ Himself, is with us always.

An important lesson of Vatican II

Benedict XVI prudently teaches us that the false "hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture" needs to be replaced by an authentic "hermeneutic of continuity and reform."  History shows us that the Church is not always the same, but is reformed and always reforming.  Continuity and reform provide the correct map for the study and implementation of Vatican II.

Blessed John XXIII told us: "This Council wishes to transmit doctrine pure and whole without attenuating it or falsifying it, but not watching over this precious treasure as if we were concerned only with antiquity.  We wish to present the sure and immutable doctrine in a way that answers the needs of our time.  The deposit of faith and our venerated doctrines are one thing; the way they are announced is another thing."  Pope John called for the Second Vatican Council to be a synthesis of faithfulness and dynamism in the spirit of Saints Peter and Paul and the Council of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Newman shrewdly projected that it takes a century to integrate fully the wisdom of an ecumenical council.  At the outset of Vatican II Pope John XXIII noted that "It is now only dawn...."  We are still digesting the work of Vatican II: sixteen important decrees approved by more than 2,500 Council Fathers, who cast over 1,200,000 ballots after more than one thousand speeches and over six thousand written interventions.

As we enter the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Second Vatican Council, let us consider this an invitation and opportunity to refresh and renew ourselves by rereading (or reading for the first time) the dynamic teachings of the Council.  These documents reveal a Church ever faithful, a divine gift, a Church ever dynamic, and a grace that continues from that very first council at Jerusalem.

Both continuity and reform are the call of Vatican II, the great Council that will always have the power to draw us closer to Jesus Christ and to each other.

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that "The Church both before and after the Council is the same one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church journeying through time."

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Current Exhibit

Wonder Works on Paper

The Marian Library Gallery is featuring works by Donna Pierce-Clark.  The exhibit will run from June 27 - August 26 on the seventh floor of Roesch Library.  Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday and Sunday by appointment.  Call 937-229-4214.  Click here for more information or here for a virtual exhibit.

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Web Collaborators

Two important Catholic websites have added The Mary Page to their list of Media Partners.  CatholicWeb.com highlights items from The Mary Page in their section on Catholic News. Catholic.net includes a Mary Channel on their navbar with articles from The Mary Page. Please visit these sites in return.  We expect continued collaboration with them in the future.

Radio Maria originated east of Milan, Italy in 1983, and is now heard in fifty-four countries.  The main USA station is in Alexandria, Louisiana with affiliate stations across the USA [including FM 88.7, WHJM,  in Anna, Ohio (north of Dayton) and AM 1600, WULM, in Springfield/Dayton, Ohio.  All USA Radio Maria stations regularly air live Marian talks from UD's Marian Library every Wednesday from 12:00-1:00 pm EST and on Thursday and Friday from 2:30-3:00 pm EST, as well as local programming originating from many other affiliated Radio Maria stations in the USA.

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International Marian Research Institute Course Schedule

IMRI courses for the Summer 2011 semester will conclude on July 22, 2011!

The Pontifical Academic Program leading to STL and STD in theology with a specialization in Marian Studies offers courses in three year-round sessions.  See our course offerings for Fall 2011 and beyond.

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In keeping with the season we suggest Who are Mary's Parents? and Marian Poetry for Ordinary Time.

We have revised and expanded our material in German and Chinese.  These are works in progress, so expect more content soon.  Feel free to let us know what you think of these sections.

We have revised and updated Popular Images of the Madonna and What do we know about Dong-Lu?

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Pro Sanctity Annual National Convention and Silent Retreat

Title: Love is Fire!

Date: July 25-29, 2011 [Retreat]
July 29-31 [Convention]

Location: St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, Nebraska

Dear Friends,

We want to let you know that there are still openings in the upcoming Pro Sanctity National Convention!  Please come for a day or the whole weekend!  Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to meet Pro Sanctity members and friends from all over the country and throughout the Midwest!  This convention is designed for all ages and will offer opportunities for prayer, formation and inspiration to take back home.  We want to spread the fire of God's love and invite many to holiness!

May Our Lady of Trust, inspire you to say YES to this weekend! Call if you need help figuring out what to do, costs, transportation, what to wear. Every question or concern is important to us! Let us know if you want to come but need special arrangements. Call me, Teresa at 402-289-2670 or email psm@prosanctity.org!

Blessings!
Teresa Monaghen and the Convention Team

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Marianist Family Hoping for Founder's Canonization
General Postulator Tells of Possible Miracle in St. Louis
Source: Zenit (Rome) June 15, 2011

The founder of the Marianist spiritual family was born in France in 1761. As the religious and laypeople of his charism celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth, there is hope that he will soon be recognized a saint. A cure from cancer of a St. Louis woman might be the step that brings about his canonization.

Blessed William Joseph Chaminade (1761-1850) was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000, at the same time that Pope John XXIII was beatified.

In his homily, the Polish Pontiff spoke of Blessed Chaminade as a model of evangelization.  He "reminds the faithful that it is their task to find ever new ways of bearing witness to the faith, especially in order to reach those who are far from the Church and who do not have the usual means of knowing Christ," the Holy Father said on that occasion.

Click here to read the complete article.

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The director and editors of The 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.

Amy Lopez-Matthews '86 answered the call in 2005 to become a Marianist Educational Associate, part of a lay community who steward Marianist and Catholic values on UD's campus and integrate the charism into their professions.  As director of Student Life and Kennedy Union, she employs eighty students annually and works with many more in UD's two hundred student organizations.

Question [from Sister Laura Leming, F.M.I. '87]: You have varied experiences of Marianist education--student at Chaminade Julienne High School, working summer conferences, classroom teaching, leading all of KU's ministries at the heart of the campus.  What's the most valuable lesson you've learned about being a Marianist educator?

Answer: The Marianists talk about a community of equals.  While I understand the unique role the faculty play in the classroom, we have staff members and people outside of campus who are completely dedicated to the mission of the Marianists and of the University.  We all have a part to play in educating students.  Lots of people educate for values, but do they educate for formation in faith and combine that with the discipleship of equals?  Do they combine that with our sense of hospitality?  These come together at UD in a distinct way, and that's what we're all proud of.

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Marian Commemoration Days

To celebrate the month of July with Mary:

• Summer Time with Mary

The Mary Page offers a variety of resources inviting study, reflection and meditation.  We also list important Marian dates for each month of the year.  Please see Marian Commemoration Days for the month of July.

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You are invited to help us pray for our Prayer Corner intentions.  Please take a look!  This site has been updated and enhanced and now allows users to directly submit prayer requests directly or to volunteer as a prayer partner for these intentions!

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The Mary Page website is updated frequently. Please stop in again and see what's new.

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