Historical Commentary on the Constitutions of the Society of Mary

The Spirit of the Society (Article X, DD 49-50) After a series of detailed studies concerning the principal themes through which the Founder’s thought on the hidden life was expressed –Ignoti et quasi occulti, Mary at the Birth of the Church, Nazareth,– we now intend to resume the actual commentary on the Constitutions by dealing […]

The Metamorphosis of Mariology

In latter years mariology seems to have lost its nerve. In the wake of Vatican II what had once seemed a thriving industry, flourishing with a life of its own, slowed down and ground virtually to a standstill. On the whole this has been a good thing. It has allowed a breathing space, a time […]

The Immaculate Conception

I was once asked by a non-Catholic friend to give a talk to a group of London University students on the Immaculate Conception. They were completing a three year course on the production of films and videos and knew their way around the technology of the media.  They were intelligent and sophisticated. They did not […]

The changing face of Mary

A quick trip down the centuries of Christian devotion to Mary is like walking through an art gallery hung with portraits of the same person painted by different artists. Each painter sees his subject differently, but each portrait is a true likeness, capturing different facets of the mystery of that person. And so it is […]

Mary: Woman of Faith

One of the surprising effects of the Second Vatican Council on the life of the Church in recent years has been the dramatic drop in practical devotion to Mary. And this is all the more surprising when we recall that the Council itself spoke most beautifully of Mary in the last chapter of its great […]

Mary: The First Disciple

Mary is mentioned for the last time in the New Testament in the opening chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. There she is pictured with the Apostles, praying and waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This last glimpse of her evokes a powerful image that has been retained faithfully in […]

Mary: Woman of prayer

One of the healthy signs of life in the Church today has been the desire for personal prayer. Christians of all ages and walks of life have felt within themselves the need to commune with their God on a personal one-to-one basis and deeply within their hearts. Thus they turn to Mary as a model […]

Mary: Woman of the Spirit

The last twenty years or so have seen a renewal of interest in the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. The Charismatic movement has given prominence to the power of the Spirit in the Church, but a lively awareness of his presence is not confined merely to those who belong […]

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