Mariological Society of America

At our annual meeting we heard presentations from doctoral candidates and theologians on the theme of Mary in Scripture since Vatican II. I had the pleasure of introducing Dr. Robert Fastiggi who presented a paper on the use of the "sensus plenior" in the Mariology of Pope John Paul II. Sensus Plenior is a term made popular by the late Raymond Brown. It means the fuller sense, or the sense intended by God. In this usage it is a deep understanding that goes beyond the intellect to a true knowing with the heart, mind, body and soul. The society gives collegial critique of the papers and publishes some of them in a peer reviewed journal, Marian Studies. We were impressed with the scholarship of this year's presentations by doctoral candidates and theologians. It was a great delight to see 40 or more diocesan seminarians studying for the priesthood. What a sign of promise for our Church. After the meeting we went on a pilgrimage to the Montfort Missionaries shrine to Our Lady of the Island overlooking the Long Island Sound. Pictures from the event are in the smilebox below. To find out more go to mariologicalsociety.com