Meeting Mary: Our Mother in Faith - Learning Guide

by Kenneth J. Howell

Just as the mother is at the center of the family, so Mary is at the center of every Catholic's daily life--yet her role is often misunderstood. In this learning guide, theology professor and former Protestant minister Kenneth J. Howell clearly describes the central importance of Mary to not only every Catholic, but every Christian. Here he explains the reasons behind the four Marian dogmas and discusses the Marian apparitions at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima--and what those apparitions mean for all of us. This resource also includes some best-loved Marian prayers and a list of the Church's Marian feast days. We are the children of God; in this family of believers Mary is our spiritual Mother, instructing us by her example of fidelity, obedience, and devotion to Christ. She plays a vital role in God's plan of salvation for all his children. This guide will awaken you to that knowledge.

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Kenneth J. Howell, Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is Director of the John Henry Cardinal Newman Institute of Catholic Thought and Adjunct Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Howell holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in the History of Christianity and Science from the University of Lancaster (U.K.).

A Presbyterian minister for eighteen years and a theological professor for seven years in a Protestant seminary, Dr. Howell was confirmed and received into the Catholic Church in 1996.

Dr. Howell is the author of several books, including: God’s Two Books: Copernican Cosmology and Biblical Interpretation in Early Modern Science (University of Notre Dame, 2002); Mary of Nazareth: Sign and Instrument of Christian Unity (Queenship Press,1998); and, Meeting Mary Learning Guide: Our Mother in Faith (Catholic Century), Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp of Smyrna Early Christian Fathers.

He and his wife, Sharon, have three children. They live in Champaign, Illinois.