The Centre for Marian Studies collaborated with the Institute of Theology and Liberal Arts at St Mary's University to host an online conference entitled ‘Bridges and Boundaries: the role of the Virgin Mary in faith and culture’ from 8th – 10th July 2021. Although we had originally intended to hold the conference on St Mary’s campus in July 2020 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the CMS, we were delighted that the virtual format allowed so many people from different countries to join us as we welcomed eighteen Marian experts from the US, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Taiwan and the UK. Although the Covid pandemic affected our original plans, the revised schedule proved to be a happy opportunity to celebrate our new home at St Mary's University and to acknowledge the twenty-sixth birthday of the CMS, which was first founded by Sarah Jane Boss, Chris Maunder and other members of the Marian Study Group in 1995.
All the conference speakers offered fascinating insights into different aspects of Marian studies, and we benefited from the vast range of presentations on Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Some of the papers and talks given at the Bridges and Boundaries Conference will be published on this News and Views page; a few others might appear in the journal. Please look out for them!
