MARY FOR TODAY: RENEWING CATHOLIC MARIAN DEVOTION AFTER THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL THROUGH ST. LOUIS-MARIE DE MONTFORT’S TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY Thesis Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies By Mary Olivia Seeger, B. UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio August 2019 i MARY FOR TODAY: RENEWING CATHOLIC MARIAN DEVOTION AFTER THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL THROUGH ST. LOUIS-MARIE DE MONTFORT’S TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY Name: Seeger, Mary Olivia APPROVED BY: Elizabeth Groppe, Ph.
Faculty Advisor Dennis Doyle, Ph. Department Chair ii © Copyright by Mary Olivia Seeger All rights reserved 2019 iii ABSTRACT MARY FOR TODAY: RENEWING CATHOLIC MARIAN DEVOTION AFTER THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL THROUGH ST. LOUIS-MARIE DE MONTFORT’S TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY Name: Seeger, Mary Olivia University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Groppe The purpose and content of my thesis is to investigate and assess how St.
Louis- Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary contributes to a renewal of Marian devotion in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. My thesis focuses on a close reading of the primary texts of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort (True Devotion to Mary), the Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium, the Constitution on the Church), and St. John Paul II (Redemptoris Mater).
As part of my theological method, I renewed my Marian consecration and interviewed four other people who currently practice Marian devotion. The character and limitations of my interview methodology did not allow me the resources or time to interview a large group of people on a sociological scale. Although diverse in age and gender, the persons I interviewed were small in number (4) and were selected by me rather than by a random sampling. The interviews gave an impression of how Marian devotion is understood and practiced by some in the Catholic Church today.
I interviewed the participants with the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and in conformity to their guidelines. My interviewees were all North Americans. Based on the interviews and my study of primary and secondary textual sources, I determined St. Louis-Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary is consistent with the type of iv Mariology articulated in chapter eight of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and Saint John Paul II’s Redemptoris Mater.
All three sources emphasize the same theological criteria for true Marian devotion. According to the three sources, true Marian devotion should be ecclesial, soteriological, eschatological, Christological, and Trinitarian. True Devotion to Mary meets all of these criteria. v Dedicated to my Heavenly Mother, Mary, who gives everything to her Son, Jesus.
And to my earthly mother, Stephanie, whose loving example made it easy to believe in a Heavenly Mother like Mary. And in loving memory of Joseph P. Clayton, who was like a father to me. I would not be where I am today without his generosity and support.
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of the wonderful people in my life. First, I am eternally grateful to my family. Their unconditional love has reminded me why I answered God’s call in the first place. In particular, my mother, Stephanie, has been my rock.
She is one of the reasons why I applied to the University of Dayton. During the last two years, our long conversations on the telephone have been a source of comfort to me. I would not have been able to finish this degree without her constant words of encouragement. Another person I would like to thank is my dear friend, Jacob Hart, whose friendship gave me the confidence I needed to finish this thesis.
I owe my title, Mary for Today, to him. I would also like to thank Joseph P. Clayton and his family. I am indebted to their generosity and kindness.
The Mary Agnes Dugan Clayton scholarship I received while I was a student at Bellarmine University allowed me to continue my studies and pursue a theology degree at the graduate level. I will always attribute my success to Joe, who was an impetus to my academic career. Although he has moved on to his heavenly resting place, I know he would be proud of this great accomplishment. Next, I would like to thank my faculty advisor, Dr.
Groppe was the first professor I worked with when I arrived at the University of Dayton. Her friendship has meant a lot to me. She was a tremendous help during my endless soul searching. Her professional insight and guidance ensured I remained focused amidst the long and arduous process of writing.
Despite the stress and doubt that comes with writing a thesis, Dr. Groppe helped me to believe in myself. I could not have finished my thesis without her. Lastly, I want to vii thank God for giving me the Blessed Virgin Mary as my Mother.
Without her and her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, I would have lost hope a long time ago. Their constant intercession brought me to this moment, and I am deeply humbled by their immense generosity, which gave me the wisdom to write these words and placed such caring people in my life to help me produce this piece of literature. I pray my work on the Blessed Virgin Mary contributes in some small way to the Catholic Church’s effort to make Mary more loved and served so her son, Jesus Christ, can be more loved and served in the world today. viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND NOTATIONS TD True Devotion to Mary H Hymns, God Alone, The Collected Writings of St.
Louis-Marie de Montfort SR The Secret of the Holy Rosary, God Alone, The Collected Writings of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort LG Lumen Gentium, The Constitution on the Church RM Redemptoris Mater ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND NOTATIONS. 1 CHAPTER I A SAINT IS BORN OF MARY: ST.
LOUIS-MARIE DE MONTFORT AND TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY. 5 Saint Louis-Marie: A Life of Devotion to Mary. 6 Marian Consecration and True Devotion. 23 Criteria of True Devotion to Mary.
35 Christological and Trinitarian Criteria. 36 Soteriological and Eschatological Criteria. 41 CHAPTER II PATRONESS OF THE COUNCIL: MARY AND THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL. 42 Marian Theology and Devotion Immediately Prior to the Second Vatican Council.
42 The Discussion of Mary at the Second Vatican Council. 43 x The Mariology of Chapter Eight in Lumen Gentium in its Ecclesiological Context. 46 Conciliar Criteria for True Marian Devotion. 52 Soteriological and Eschatological Criteria.
59 Christological and Trinitarian Criteria. 67 CHAPTER III MARY’S POPE: SAINT JOHN PAUL II AND TRUE MARIAN DEVOTION. 69 The Mariology of Saint John Paul II in Redemptoris Mater. 70 Mary in the Mystery of Christ.
71 Mother of God at the Centre of the Pilgrim Church. John Paul II’s Theological Criteria for True Marian Devotion. 87 Christological and Trinitarian Criteria. 92 Soteriological and Eschatological Criteria.
96 CHAPTER IV MY FIRST NAME IS MARY: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF MARIAN CONSECRATION AND DEVOTION. 98 My Personal Experience. 99 xi Other Personal Experiences. 120 CHAPTER V MARY FOR TODAY: RENEWING CATHOLIC MARIAN DEVOTION AFTER THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL THROUGH ST.
LOUIS-MARIE DE MONTFORT’S TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY. 122 Contributions of True Devotion to Mary in the Life of the Catholic Church Today. 122 Clarifications and Enhancements to True Devotion to Mary for Our Time. 124 The Language of “Slavery”.
134 Feminist Critiques and Reconstruction of Mariology. 138 The Predestinate and Perfect Devotion. 145 Post-Conciliar Criteria for True Marian Devotion. 152 Christological and Trinitarian Criteria.
155 Soteriological and Eschatological Criteria. 161 xii INTRODUCTION “The more we honor the Blessed Virgin, the more we honor Jesus Christ, because we honor Mary only that we may the more perfectly honor Jesus, since we go to her only as the way by which we are to find the end we are seeking, which is Jesus. Louis-Marie de Montfort Oftentimes, the reason people are hesitant to foster a personal relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary is because people do not understand that there are theological criteria for true Marian devotion. People assume Marian devotion is a distraction or detraction from Jesus Christ.
For this reason, people tend to isolate Mary. She is considered a separate category, an “add-on,” so to speak, to the rest of theology. Such a misunderstanding of true Marian devotion deprives people of the rich theological value and merit that Mary’s active participation in the life and mystery of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church can contribute to who we are and whom we are becoming in our relationship with the Triune God and with one another. Historically, the controversy surrounding Marian devotion has been about false forms of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
My thesis studies the theological criteria 1 for true devotion to Mary and articulates how true devotion to Mary is distinct from “false” devotion. By differentiating false devotion from true devotion, my thesis constructs an argument that explains the significance of true Marian devotion in the Catholic Church today. The topic of my thesis centers on renewing Catholic Marian devotion after the Second Vatican Council through St. Louis-Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary.
My interest focuses on what constitutes a true devotion to Mary as well as how true devotion to Mary can inspire a spiritual renewal within the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. In my thesis, I situate St. Louis-Marie’s Mariology within his own historical and theological context. I also situate the Second Vatican Council’s Mariology articulated in chapter eight of Lumen Gentium, the Constitution on the Church within its own historical and theological context.
In light of the two historical periods, I investigate and assess the Marian theology articulated by St. John Paul II. I consider some of the ways in which Marian theology and devotion have developed after the Second Vatican Council. I retrieve the Marian theology articulated by St.
Louis-Marie in True Devotion to Mary, in chapter eight of Lumen Gentium, and in St. John Paul II’s Redemptoris Mater to determine how a theologically valid Marian devotion can be renewed in the Catholic Church today. Ultimately, the goal of my thesis is to contribute my assessment of the trajectory of Marian devotion and to articulate criteria, based on the writings of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, the Second Vatican Council, and St.
John Paul II for a true devotion to Mary in the Catholic Church today. It is important to note that the use of the term “criteria” is not used in the narrow sense, like a check-list, but as a broad theological heuristic or guidepost for the assessment and evaluation of true Marian devotion. 2 I was motivated to write about the Blessed Virgin Mary because Mary has always held a special place in my heart. My relationship with the Blessed Mother has grown and deepened throughout the years, and this project is a continuation of my desire to always enrich that relationship.
A significant reason why I became interested in this topic is that St. Louis-Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary radically impacted my life as a member of the Catholic Church. I have been consecrated to Jesus through Mary for roughly four years now, and I can attest to how much it has rejuvenated and inspired my Catholic faith. I firmly believe my Marian devotion has transformed me into a better and more authentic Catholic.
Based on my personal experience of St. Louis-Marie’s True Devotion to Mary, I became interested in how his Mariology connected to the Mariology articulated in the Catholic Church today. I wanted to learn how St.