April 16, 2011
"Modern Places of Marian Devotion:
Fatima, Medjugorje, and Kibeho”
10:00 a.m. Matthew Sutton,
Ph.D.
Matthew L. Sutton, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department
of Theology and Religious Studies, earned his doctorate in
Religious Studies with a specialization in Catholic Systematic
Theology from Marquette University. He joined St. John's
University Department of Theology and Religious Studies in 2008 and
teaches courses in Christology, Trinitarian Theology, Ecclesiology,
Mariology, and Christian Spirituality. He also lives in the St.
John’s neighborhood and is a parishioner with his family at
Immaculate Conception Church in Jamaica.
Description Major twentieth-century conflicts were preceded
by Marian apparitions imploring the need for conversion and
peace. What does this tell us about who Mary is and her role
for us in the twenty-first century?
“Sacramentals Associated with Marian
Devotion”
11:00 a.m. Dr. Sally Kenel
Dr. Sally A. Kenel is an Associate Professor of Theology who earned
her doctorate at Fordham University. She teaches on St. John’s
Staten Island Campus and is the Assistant Chair of the
Department. Currently her research centers on the relation of
theology and ecology.
Description Two of the hallmarks of the Roman Catholic Church are
sacramentality and devotion to Mary. This talk will explore
the confluence of these characteristics in such practices of
popular piety as the rosary and other solid symbols of faith and
devotion.
“Practices of Marian Devotion: Three
Models” 
12:00 p.m. Rev. Carl Pieber,
CM
Rev. Carl Pieber, CM is a Vincentian priest who has a Master in
Arts in Religious Studies degree from DePaul University in Chicago,
a Masters in Divinity from De Andreis Institute of Theology in
Illinois, and a Doctorate in University Administration from the
State University of New York at Buffalo. He has worked at
DePaul University, Niagara University, The Catholic University of
America, and the Wheeling Jesuit University. He has also done
development work for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the
Congregation of the Mission. For the past three years, he has been
the Executive Director of the Central Association of the Miraculous
Medal in Philadelphia. In this last role, Fr. Pieber has been
a significant force in promoting devotion to Mary.
Description In this presentation, devotion to Mary will be
presented in three models: Mary at Prayer, Mary full of God’s
Grace, and Mary holding Christ. These three models are
reflected in our prayer, litanies, novenas, art and sculpture of
Mary. This lecture will give some particular attention to Our
Lady of the Miraculous Medal devotion.