Call for Papers 

The Mariological Society of America [MSA]

  invites proposals for its

 May 20-23, 2025 Conference

to be held at

 St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland

Marian Apparitions: Discernment and Significance

On May 17, 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) issued a document entitled, “Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena.” These norms replace those promulgated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in 1978 under the title, “Norms Regarding the Manner of Proceeding in the Discernment of Presumed Apparitions or Revelations.” The 2025 MSA conference will focus on both the discernment and the significance of Marian apparitions. Why have there been so many reported Marian apparitions over the last two centuries? What criteria are used to distinguish true revelations from false ones? How do Church authorities proceed in investigating alleged Marian apparitions and reported supernatural phenomena (e.g. weeping or bleeding statues, claims of miraculous cures, etc.)? What is the difference between public revelation and private revelation? What role do private revelations play in the life of the Church?

Other topics might include:

1. the 2024 norms compared to the 1978 norms; the significance of the new categories
2. criteria for discerning Marian apparitions prior to 1978
3. major themes of approved Marian apparitions: what is Mary telling us?
4. approved Marian apparitions and their messages
5. Marian apparitions in Church history
6. the cultural significance of Marian apparitions: are some used for political or social purposes?
7. approved Marian apparitions with disapproved aspects (e.g. the 1879 Secret of La Salette)
8. the nature of private revelations (apparitions, visions, locutions): insights from mystical writers and theologians
9. the interplay between the objective and the subjective in private revelations
10. the qualities of authentic visionaries: are all the same?
11. formal vs. informal approval of Marian apparitions and/or connected devotions
12. complex cases in which good fruits coexist with problems
13. cases of non-approved Marian apparitions: individual examples or several.

Please send abstracts by October 31, 2024 to Sr. Danielle Peters (dpeters8@nd.edu) and Dr. Robert Fastiggi (fastiggi.robert@shms.edu). The abstract should be about 350-500 words. The abstract should include sources and an explanation of how the proposal relates to the theme of the conference. Note: Speakers are expected to attend the conference in person.

A PDF of this Call for Papers can be accessed here: https://www.mariologicalsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MSA-2025-Call-for-Papers-.pdf