CALL FOR PAPERS
The MARIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA [MSA]
invites proposals for its
May 18–21, 2027, Conference
to be held at
The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos, California,
on the theme of
The Role of the Virgin Mary in the Mystery of Salvation
The Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis (November 4, 2025) of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has stimulated renewed interest and discussion on Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation. The 2027 conference of the Mariological Society of America will explore the role of the Virgin Mary in the mystery of salvation in light of Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium. Consideration will be given to Mary’s role in Christ’s objecive work of redemption and her ongoing role as “our Mother in the order of grace” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 61).
Possible topics might include the following.
1. Mater Populi Fidelis: its purpose and its reception (positive and/or critical).
2. Mary’s role in salvation according to Sacred Scripture.
3. Mary as Co-redemptrix: meaning, history, and controversies.
4. Mary as the Mediatrix of all graces: meaning, history, and the arguments for and against.
5. The history of petitions for new dogmas related to Marian co-redemption and mediation of all graces and the responses of the Magisterium.
6. Mary in the mystery of salvation in the thought of a particular theologian, saint, pope, or approved mystic (e.g., Ven. Maria of Ágreda, St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. John Paul II, Fr. Gabriele Roschini, OSM, or Ven. Sister Lúcia of Fatima).
7. Mary in the mystery of salvation in light of an approved Marian apparition or apparitions.
8. Mary in the mystery of salvation in light of pre and post Vatican II Marian congresses.
9. Mary in the mystery of salvation at Vatican II.
10. Mary’s role in the mystery of salvation in light of human participation and cooperation.
11. Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation in the Patristic Age (Syrian, Byzantine, or Latin).
12. Mary in the mystery of salvation in art, devotion, or liturgy.
Please send abstracts by October 31, 2026, to Dr. Robert Fastiggi (fastiggi.robert@shms.edu) and Dr. Patricia Sullivan (pasulliv@anselm.edu). The abstract should be 350-500 words and 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.
