Mary's 'kenosis' of faith

APRIL RESEARCH SEMINAR

'The Crucifixion' by Judith Tutin*

Date: Wednesday 9th April 2025

Time: 3:00pm in the UK (09:00 US CT; 10:00 US ET; 16:00 in France)

Venue: Online via Zoom

We are delighted to welcome Fr. Jim Doyle as the guest speaker for our April research seminar.

THEME

In his wonderful encyclical on Mary, Redemptoris Mater, Pope St. John Paul II made this insightful observation:

“At the foot of the Cross Mary shares through faith in the shocking mystery of this [Jesus’] self-emptying. This is perhaps the deepest ‘kenosis' of faith in human history” (RM 18).

Here the Pope marks out Mary’s faith as the most important act of faith in human history and as a sharing in Jesus’ own self-emptying or kenosis. He will go on to say,

"It is precisely Mary’s faith which marks the beginning of the new and eternal Covenant of God with man in Jesus Christ; this heroic faith of hers “precedes” the apostolic witness of the Church, and ever remains in the Church’s heart hidden like a special heritage of God’s revelation. All those who from generation to generation accept the apostolic witness of the Church share in that mysterious inheritance, and in a sense share in Mary’s faith" (RM27).

In his presentation, Fr. Doyle will provide an overview of what might be involved in Mary’s kenosis of faith and he will discuss some of its ecclesiological implications.

OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Fr. Jim Doyle, who is a priest of the diocese of Ferns in Ireland, is currently the chaplain at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, formerly the Irish College. As a former civil engineer he worked with NGO’s in Cambodia, Burundi and Haiti. He holds a Licence in Divinity from St. Patrick’s Pontifical College in Maynooth where he also taught courses on Patristics and Christian Anthropology. He is currently studying for a doctorate in the field of Mariology.

*We are also grateful that Fr. Doyle's sister, the artist Judith Tutin, has allowed us to use her painting entitled 'The Crucifixion' as an illustration.

REGISTER

 If you would like to receive the free Zoom link, please send an email to Catherine O'Brien at info@marianstudies.ac.uk