News Archives

We have received a number of emails from readers commending our institute and its website, The Mary Page.  Thank you all for your encouragement and support.  The following is a typical example.

Thank you very much for your concern.  Take care.  God Bless.

Anton

Updates

Father Johann G. Roten, S.M., will sign his new book Mirror of Hope on Saturday, December 15 from 1 to 3 pm at St. Mark Bookshop, 895 South Main Street, Centerville, OH.

This beautiful gift book contains photos and theological explanations of the exquisite Mirror of Hope sculpture located on the first floor of the Roesch Library on the University of Dayton campus.  This sculpture contains numerous expressive and colorful figures and scenes depicting the Christian story from creation to the end of time.

Father Roten is an internationally-recognized scholar and authority on Mary.  He served as head of the International Marian Research Institute/Marian Library at UD for fifteen years and now serves as director of research and special projects.  Father Roten founded Creches International. St. Mark Bookstore is pleased to host Father Roten for this event.

Return to Top

Mary in Books, Films, and Music

English Translation of Marianist Classic Now Available

Brother John Samama, S.M., informs us that Mary and the Christian Educator by the late Father Emil Neubert, S.M., has just been published in English.  The bright and easy-to-read English translation was done by an American diocesan priest who is an ardent admirer of Father Neubert's Marian writings.

In a nutshell, the purpose of this book is to unfold the intimate links between the work of the educator and the apostolic mission of Mary.  The work of Christian education is destined to realize the promising hope that every Christian student is for the family, the country, the Church, for God Himself.  In the work of Christian education it is particularly important that the influence of Mary be exercised in all its fullness.  The mission of the Christian educator is one of participation in the mission God entrusted to Mary.  The educator is a participator and cooperator in Mary's mission as Mother of humankind.  It is essential that the Christian educator be aware of this.

The book is available on this site: BlessedMaryMotherofGod.com

Paperbound 6" x 9"
170 pages
$15.95

Suggested A/V material

Val Finnell, a Deacon with the Anglican Society of Mary, sent us the following suggestion on December 8 for a Marian music video on YouTube.

Enjoy this Marian hymn [Ave Maris Stella] on this Feast of the Conception of the BVM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TacNIbmDZ4s

Return to Top

Radio Maria from The Marian Library

Prayer of Blessed John Paul II for Radio Maria

Mary, guide us in our major decisions and give us strength in times of trial so that we may, with humble courage, follow the hidden ways of Heaven, keeping faith with God and mankind so that we can bring the joyful message of Christ, the Savior, to the hearts and minds of all.

Mary, guiding star of evangelization, be with us.  Be with Radio Maria as guide and be its protector.

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.  CALL IN TOLL-FREE.  PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM (during the live show) 1-866-333-6279.

On Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Francesca Franchina talks with Father Tom Alkire, OC, from Los Angeles, CA, about Jesus' Queen Mother, referencing quotes from St. Louis de Montfort and Venerable Mary of Agreda (Mystical City of God) concerning the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart based on the Second Coming of Christ which will be the Second Pentecost according to Father Gobbi of the Marian Movement of Priests.  Discover the meaning of Mary's titles in the Litany of Loreto: Tower of David; Ark of the Covenant; Tower of Ivory; House of Gold which pertain to Our Lady and the New Advent and how she assists and equips us to be prayer warriors in the light of devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe as well.

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.

Francesca is no longer doing her Tuesday program, Through the Tummy to the Heart on Radio Maria, but all programs and recipes are still posted in the Archives on the Radio Maria website at radiomaria.us.  She will inaugurate commentary and blog on www.credoapostolate.us in the near future.

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, 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 schedule of future programs planned to date.  Click here for the audio archive!

This week's programs:

Father François Rossier, S.M., Thursday, December 13, 2:30 PM on Advent as the Season of Mary's Faith I

Return to Top

From the Marian Treasure Chest

Jesus-Mary Analogies by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

Brother John sent us the following article which was published in Ephemerides Mariologicae, October-December 2012 (Madrid, Spain).

Theological science is indebted to Father Emile Neubert, a Marianist renowned for his Mariological studies and writings, because he formulated the principle of analogy for Marian studies while popularizing many important Marian doctrines.

This essay is an exploration of his principle of analogy for Mariology.

Situating the Question

"All generations will call me blessed, because he who is mighty has done great things for me," proclaimed the Blessed Virgin Mary when her cousin Elizabeth greeted her as "the mother of my Lord." (Lk 2:43; 48-49)  In the Gospel itself we find only two of these "great things" clearly mentioned: her perpetual virginity and her divine maternity.  But the faith and love of the Church attribute to Mary many other "great things."  Among them her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, her perfect sinlessness, her spiritual maternity, her apostolic mission of Coredemptrix and Mediatrix, and more.  The faithful are as convinced of the certitude of all these as they are of the first two explicitly recorded in the Gospel.  The challenge is to see how the latter truths are contained in divine revelation.

Before leaving his disciples, Jesus Christ promised them the help of the Holy Spirit to fulfill their mandate to evangelize.  "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you in all the truth.  For He will speak ... whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, because He will take what is mine and declare it to you." (Jn 16: 12-14)  On Pentecost the Holy Spirit revealed to the Apostles the most immediately important things our Lord had tried to make plain to them: the mystery of the Passion and Resurrection, the nature of the Redemption and its extension to the entire world.  Other mysteries the Spirit would reveal to the Church as the need arose, because He remains with the Church to enlighten and guide her until the end of time.  And regarding the glories of Mary not explicitly mentioned in Holy Scripture, He does this quite remarkably.

How does the Holy Spirit guide the Church to a clear understanding of the "new things" concerning the Mother of Jesus that the Church attributes to her as time unfolds? (Mt 13:52)

The Response Evolves

Is this the result of the speculation of theologians?  No. History demonstrates that the faithful, simple Christians and their pastors, have professed each one of these Mariological truths long before they were analyzed by theologians.  Indeed, in some instances theologians rejected these beliefs and admitted them only gradually at the compulsion of the faithful.  This was the case regarding belief in the total absence of actual sin in Mary, in her Immaculate Conception, and in her Assumption.  The infallible assistance of the Holy Spirit is guaranteed to the faithful as a whole, not to a group of scholars even though there be saints among them.

How have the faithful discovered the various privileges of the Virgin Mary?  Have they reasoned better than the theologians?  They have not reasoned at all.  They have contemplated.

St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of a double manner of judging: "by reasoning and by a certain 'connaturality' (conformity of nature) with the things to be judged."  St. Thomas calls this connaturality an inclination, a sympathy. (S.T. II-II, q. 45, a:2,c)

It is important to see a thing "at a single glance" and not "progressively through reasoning."  By contemplating a vital truth, wholly and lovingly, a kind of instinct is acquired to see with almost infallible certitude what is conformable or contrary to this truth.  So far as supernatural truths are concerned, the Holy Spirit, by the gifts of intelligence and wisdom, singularly perfects this intuitive faculty, especially in humble and loving souls.

What is the vital reality which, when contemplated in its totality, has given the faithful the power to discern gradually the various privileges of Mary which the Gospels do not indicate explicitly?  It is the ensemble of facts which Scripture gives us concerning Jesus and Mary and their relations with each other.

Christians know that the Son of God willed to be born of Mary in order to save us.  He is her Son.  She is His Mother.  She is the true Mother of the Son of God Incarnate.  She formed Him of her substance, carried Him in her womb, brought Him forth into the world, swaddled Him, nursed Him, covered Him with kisses, protected Him, and reared Him.

She is more a mother than any other mother because she alone conceived Him without the cooperation of a man.  And Jesus is more truly her child than is the child of any other mother, because to her alone He owes His whole human nature.

Filial Piety

Jesus behaved toward his Mother as would any other child.  He allowed Himself to be nourished, clothed, and carried by her.  He has been submissive to her, but above all He has loved her.

Who does not know from experience the love of a child for his mother?  It is the first, the most sincere, the strongest, the most universal of all loves, even in persons less refined.

The faithful see intuitively with what love such a Child must have loved His Mother: as God, with an infinite love; as man, with an inconceivable love.

In this realm Neubert echoes and develops the Christocentric and Marian spirituality of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade.  But to love is to give.  If He loved her so much, He must have given her all that He could give her, all that she was capable of receiving.

Unique Relationship

What did Jesus give His Mother?  To strangers we generally give things we treasure less.  But this is not so for those whom we love.  "What properly constitutes love," says St. Ignatius of Loyola "is the reciprocal communication between the lovers of their possessions, of their influence, of their works, knowledge, riches, honor, of all they possess."  Christians believe that Jesus must have shared His own graces and privileges with His Mother, especially because He Himself created her.  He did not choose His Mother from among the daughters of Eve.  He created Mary expressly to be His Mother and made her exactly as He wished her to be.  Jesus' love was not just any love, but the love of a son.  Nature itself–and therefore the Son of God the Author of nature–wishes that every child resemble its mother not only physically but spiritually as well.

What could be more evident, then, than the fact that Jesus, perfect Child of Mary, shared all his supernatural riches with His Mother in the measure in which she was capable of receiving them?

Jesus' filial love, the disposition of the infinitely loving Son of Mary, alone suffices for the faithful to understand that He would have His Mother participate in all His prerogatives.  Christians find in Scripture, alongside the fundamental truth of the Incarnation, certain statements to confirm this understanding.  "Hail, full of grace."  "And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?"  "Blessed are you among women."  "From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me." (Lk 1: 28, 43, 42, 48)

Recall, too, some important events recorded in the Gospels: Mary's miraculous and fruitful virginity, the miracle by Jesus at Cana at the request of Mary, the thoughtful attention of the dying Jesus in confiding his Mother to the Beloved Disciple, the association of Mary with the sufferings and the redemptive work of her Son both in the prophecy of Simeon and at Calvary. (Lk 2: 35; Jn 19:25-27)

Sharing the Redemptive Mission

By the Scriptures cited, Christians know that Jesus, an infinitely loving Son, wished to do for His Mother all that He could do for her.  He shared His privileges with her in the measure in which a woman, mere creature, was capable of possessing them.  This understanding becomes conviction and guides the faithful when there is question of attributing to Mary prerogatives not explicitly indicated in Holy Scripture.

In proportion as the faithful turned more often to the Mother of God, both as a result of their growing devotion to her, and as an effect of the development of other truths related to Marian doctrine, as well as through the work of theology and its defenses against heresy, this conviction became progressively stronger.  Consequently, clearer and more numerous resemblances between Christ and His Mother appeared.  Taken together these splendors constitute an impressive whole.  Suffice it to glance at the most important ones: the predestination of Christ and that of Mary before all others, decreed at the same time; the Immaculate Conception of Christ and of Mary; the absence of sin, of imperfection, and of concupiscence in both of them; both full of grace; Christ, the Redeemer, and Mary, the Coredemptrix – or as the Fathers stated, Christ, the New Adam, and Mary, the New Eve; Christ merited for us all graces in strict justice, Mary merited them congruously; Christ is the advocate before the Father, and Mary before Christ; all graces come to us through the Christ-Man and through Mary; Christ is our High Priest, Mary is associated in His priestly oblation; Christ is King, and Mary, Queen; Christ and Mary glorified in heaven both in body and in soul.

In its liturgical worship and devotions the Church recognizes this close relation between Jesus and Mary.  Consider the related feasts, First Friday and First Saturday devotions, various acts of consecration and entrustment, and others.

Analogous Relations

The Church realizes that the similarity between the privileges of Christ and those of His Mother is in no way identity.  Christ has His prerogatives by His very nature as God Incarnate.  Mary receives hers only by a free gift of God.  "He who is mighty has done great things for me."  Furthermore, there is a difference in their mode and in their perfection.

The Christian knows that Mary is a creature only, dependent on Christ for everything.  She is a woman and a mother, and her grace is adapted to her own nature and to her special function.  Christ exists for God.  Mary exists for Christ. God made Christ our unique Redeemer.  Mary can exercise her role as Coredemptrix only through union with Christ, and she herself had to be redeemed by Him.  Christ is our necessary advocate with the Father.  Mary is our advocate with Christ and through Christ. So it is with all the privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Naturally this analogy between the prerogatives of Jesus and those of Mary, the work of the filial piety of the Son of God for His Mother, sensed from earliest times and known clearly enough to guide the judgment of the faithful with astonishing sureness amid contradictory opinions, was not formulated from the very beginning.  But it was formulated quite early.  In the eighth century St. John of Damascus affirmed it in regard to the Assumption: "It was necessary that the Mother should have entered into the possession of all the goods of her Son, and that she should have been venerated by all creation as the Mother and Handmaid of God. It is a customary practice that the wealth of the parents pass to their children.  But here ... the springs of the sacred waters flow toward the height: the Son has submitted the entire creation to the dominion of His Mother." (P.C. 96, col. 741)  St. Louis de Montfort reiterated this truth already long recognized when he wrote: "All that is proper to God Incarnate by nature is proper to Mary by grace." (True Devotion to Mary, no. 74)

Principle of Analogy for Mariology

To give this truth theological exactness, Father Neubert expressed the principle in this formula: To the various privileges of the humanity of Jesus there correspond analogous privileges in Mary, in the manner and in the degree required by the difference between her condition and that of her Son.  This appeared in print for the first time in the first edition of Marie dans le Dogme (Paris, 1933).  Theologians have used this principle and recognized its productive value.

Unlike theological rules formulated in earlier times, the rule of analogies is more precise and fruitful, enabling the discovery of new Marian truths implicitly contained in Scripture and known by us today.  It is more comprehensive in considering Mary as the associate of Christ in His mission.  The rule of analogies between Jesus and Mary applies to their functions as well as to their other prerogatives.

But the principle of analogies is not the only light which guides the faithful in the discovery of Marian privileges.  It is assisted by certain related truths furnished by Scripture or by the common teaching of Christian doctrine, that is, by the common belief of the faithful and the ordinary magisterium of the Church.  These provide the criteria for the correctness and infallibility of Marian doctrines.

It is important to remember that the deposit of revelation is not an assembly of abstract propositions to be jealously guarded, but teachings which are "spirit and life."  The more loudly these are proclaimed and acclaimed, the better they nourish the devotion of the faithful.

May the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

Return to Top

Current Exhibit

At the Manger 2012

Click here for information, about Peace on Earth, the exhibit of nativity scenes being held in the Roesch Library Gallery and elsewhere through January 27, 2013.  Click here for more details.

From Nov. 19, 2012 through Jan. 31, 2013 the Marian Collection of Father Joseph J. Schuck, Mary - A Labor of Love will also be on display in the Marian Library Gallery.

We have a permanent crèche exhibit and a dedicated online giving page specifically for those who wish to support The Marian Library crèche collections.  There is also a general page to give to all areas of ML/IMRI and Roesch Library.

Return to Top

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 Mariology section 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.

Return to Top

International Marian Research Institute Course Schedule

IMRI courses for the Fall 2012 semester concluded on November 9, 2012.

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 Spring 2013.

Return to Top

In keeping with the season, we suggest Poems for Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Material on international stamps with images of Mary exists on The Mary Page (also available in French). The latest updates were Sierra Leone, Tokelau, Zaire, and Zambia.

We have revised and expanded our material in Chinese.  This is a work in progress, so expect more content soon.  Feel free to let us know what you think of this section.

We have posted information about our upcoming symposium on Our Faith and Mary.  We have also updated Mariological Societies, Marian Centers, Marian Publications and Newsletters, and Marian Thoughts of Benedict XVI [through 11/26/2012].

Return to Top

Pop Opera on Christmas in the Dayton Area

Title: Nativity

Date: December 13, 14, 15, 8 pm and December 15, 16 matinees at 2 pm

Location: Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene; 1850 North Fairfield Road; Dayton, Ohio

This magical, lighthearted pop opera commemorates the Nativity as seen through the eyes of the angels who were there! Nativity, the Pop Opera is a holiday classic that the whole family will enjoy.

Nativity, The Pop Opera and A Kid Again are co-hosting a first class entertainment opportunity for Dayton families to enjoy. The show delivers a high-energy and humorous stage production, but it also functions as a life changing BENEFIT for area youngsters.  Free-will donations from every performance will go to support A Kid Again.

For more information, visit their website or click into their Press Release [in PDF--requires Adobe Acrobat Reader] or into their promotional poster [in PDF--requires Adobe Acrobat Reader].

Return to Top

Best Wishes for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Source: Zenit (Rome) December 8, 2012

Padre Pio said that the Madonna is the shortcut to get to God.

There is no doubt that in order to see the face of Jesus, we must turn to His Mother, and it is to her who we look to heal our diseases, to turn our tears into prayer. To her, we offer our suffering and concern for the salvation of souls, our loneliness so that it becomes contemplation, and our fears to turn into hope.

We are confident, as written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux in his prayer, Memorare, that never was it known that anyone who fled to Mary's protection, implored her help, or sought her intercession was left unaided....

Click here for the complete article.

Return to Top

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.

The dedication of a parish, receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, the meeting of Catholic women and many other initiatives took place on the day of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, in the Chinese Catholic community, which has always been known for its great devotion to Mary.  According to the information collected by Fides Agency, the parish dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the diocese of Ba Yan Zhuo Er celebrated the solemn dedication of the new church to the Patron with a solemn Marian procession presided over by the diocesan Bishop, who in his homily urged all the faithful "to take advantage of the beautiful and new house of the Lord in order to satisfy the mission of evangelization of the Church in the footsteps of Mary."

The women of the community of the Diocese of Chao Yang of the diocese of Liao Ning celebrated the Immaculate Conception with a special meeting, exclusively female, so that "it strengthens the relationship of women with the Lord, because they are the pillars of the Church today."  In fact, the diocesan Bishop consecrated the new altar and the ambo offered by the faithful pilgrims....

Click here for the complete article.

Return to Top

Marian Commemoration Days

To celebrate the month of December with Mary:

• Celebrating Advent with Mary (starts December 2)
• Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12)

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 December.

Return to Top

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 submit prayer requests directly or to volunteer as a prayer partner for these intentions!

Return to Top

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

Return to Archive