Inaug.-diss.--Kiel. / Vita. "Bibliographie": p. [5]-7.

Inaug.-diss.--Kiel. / Vita. "Bibliographie": p. [5]-7.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Thesis advisor: Margaret E. Guider / The cosmic mystery of Mary draws attention to what the Roman Catholic Church celebrates as her heavenly reign, an aspect of which is the proliferation of Marian apparitions and manifestations around the world particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries. This dissertation underscores that these historical interventions are manifestations of the action of the Holy Spirit in the particular figure of Mary and is attentive to the different ways God’s graces flow to the whole people of God without conflating the person of Mary with the Person of the Spirit. The instrumental nature of Mary’s relation to the Spirit in carrying out Christ’s salvific work is the centerpiece of this study. A key aspect of this work is the mutual recognition of non-Christians in that Mary’s appearances to a number of seers is not contingent on their being or becoming Christian. A number of modern apparitions have assumed political significance because of the social turmoil of the periods when they occurred. Of interest here, is an understanding of the Spirit’s implementation in Mary’s intellect and will, and the reception of her apparition messages in ways that are transformative for ecclesial life and all God’s people. This work includes an exposition of some of the scriptural, ecumenical, interreligious, and ecclesiastical foundations for understanding the Spirit’s action in Mary, and their influence on contemporary mariological discourse since the Second Vatican Council. It reviews some of the key insights from the two-thousand year history of Marian apparitions, the complexity of the phenomenon, and the trends observed during the modern period. Vailankanni (India), Zeitoun (Egypt), and Kibeho (Rwanda) are three case studies included based on the persistence of a Marian cult, pilgrim growth, and contemporary sociopolitical and religious concerns. The rise in Hindu nationalism in India, political tensions and growth of pan-Islamism in North Africa and the Middle East, and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda are studied using the historical-critical method and comparative studies of religion within the scope of apparitions, drawing attention to the marginalization of particular demographics based on religious or ethnic origin. Understanding the Spirit’s implementation in Mary enhances the analysis of the implications of these phenomena. The Spirit’s work through Mary’s cosmic mystery has profound, far-reaching significance for the world church and all God’s people. The three cases reveal how Marian apparitions evolve from obscure events in insignificant places to global centers of Christian spirituality. They make known the hidden potential of the gospel to apply Christian revelation to localized, particular challenges in new situations with permanent, prophetic, and eschatological implications. The permanent examines how the repetitive or apocalyptic nature of Mary’s appeals mobilizes the sensus fidelium through the transforming power of pilgrimage, its impact on Marian devotion, and the emergence of new ecclesial movements. The prophetic addresses Christian and interreligious unity through dialogical encounter, equality for all, God’s justice, and the preferential option for the poor. The global reach of Marian apparitions expresses the oneness of Mary operating under the power of the Spirit, accompanying a global humanity-in-pilgrimage towards the eschatological reign of God. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic University of America, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-106).

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 13, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Richard J. Callahan, Jr. Includes bibliographical references.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Après le séisme de l'Irpinia le 23 novembre 1980, un regain de dévotion mariale s'est vérifié dans plusieurs localités de la Campanie. Notre travail souhaite évoquer le lien entre la catastrophe naturelle et les apparitions mariales de deux localités de la Campanie : Casavatore et Oliveto Citra. Si ces deux événements surnaturels n'ont pas donné lieu à une reconnaissance durable et par voie de conséquence à des pèlerinages pérennes, il en va autrement pour le culte dédié à Padre Pio (1887-1968) qui génère un engouement dévotionnel sans cesse croissant à San Giovanni Rotondo. Notre travail veut démontrer, à travers d'autres exemples de dévotion mariale comme le culte de la Vierge au Rosaire crée à la fin du XIXe par Bartolo Longo au coeur de la Nuova Pompei, que les supports médiatiques traditionnels, associés aux inventions technologiques sont les instruments garantissant la continuité d'un culte. / After the Irpinia earthquake of November 23rd, 1980, a revival of the Marian devotion was discovered in several localities of Campania. Our work aims to establish the link between the natural disaster and the Marian appearances in two localities of Campania: Casavatore and Oliveto Citra. If those two "acts of God" did not lead to a lasting recognition and thus, to perennial pilgrimages, the same cannot be said with respect to the cult dedicated to Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) that has given rise to a continuously growing devotional enthusiasm in San Giovanni Rotondo. Our work means to demonstrate, through other examples of Marian devotion such as the cult of Our Lady of the Rosary?created at the end of the XIX century by Bartolo Longo at the heart of Nueva Pompeya?that traditional forms of media, associated with technological inventions, are the instruments guaranteeing the continuity of a cult

The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe the nature and significance of the after-death communication experience (ADC). The research asks what is it like to have an experience of communication with a deceased loved one, what is the essential nature of the experience, and what are the effects and meanings of the experience within the lives of the participants? This study explores the lived experiences of eighteen participants, sixteen women and two men, who report a variety of ADCs over the years following their bereavement. The ADCs are explored within the context of the participants’ lives so as to show how these extraordinary experiences can be understood as happening to real people within their own history rather than as isolated events. The first part of the thesis gives biographical descriptions of the participants’ lives following their ADCs. The second part of the thesis analyses the essential nature and qualities of the ADC experience and gives a robust description of the nature of the phenomenon. Phenomenological analysis of the data occurs in overlapping steps consisting of the individual descriptions, reduction techniques and emergence of seven themes describing the essence of the experiences for these participants. The themes show the experiences are unexpected and startling and intrude into ordinary experience. Familiar characteristics authenticate the presence of the deceased. Information, care, love and ongoing relationship are conveyed. The participants grapple with the experiences over time. They find they are deeply imprinted and powerful, and produce immediate and long-term effects. Heightened awareness that transcends ordinary experience gives the bereaved a ‘knowing’ of the ongoing life of their loved one. Expanded consciousness and reflection lead to seeing reality as larger and more complex and includes an unseen world where their loved one is continuing to live in another form. The themes are illustrated using the participants’ descriptions of their ADCs. Last of all a description of the phenomenon is compiled using an intuitive reflective process. Powerful and transforming after-effects demonstrate that the ADCs contribute to managing grief in the major losses of the participants’ lives, to the allaying of fears of death, to belief in an after-life and to belief in the interconnectedness and continuity of relationships across the boundary of death. There are major changes in sense of self, life and living, purpose and meaning, spiritual and religious understanding, and psychic sensitivity. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal