About - Recent News
Latest news from Maryvale
Latest news from Maryvale
Dear all
To the just concluded Theology Congress in Rome, organised by the Dicastery for Culture and Education on ‘The Future of Theology’ [December 2024], Pope Francis began his address in this way: ‘When I think of theology, light comes to mind. Thanks to light, objects emerge from darkness, faces reveal their contours, the shapes and colours of the world finally become visible. Light is beautiful because it makes things appear but without showing itself.’
It was indeed a privilege to have represented Maryvale at the Congress and be afforded the rare opportunity of having a personal moment with the Holy Father. As you can imagine, many things were discussed from different but often converging viewpoints, but I found the Pope’s Light imagery particularly insightful. It made me think of the opening words of Creation ‘Fiat Lux’ (‘Let there be light’) and the famous opening words of St John’s Gospel read at Mass on Christmas Day - ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … and … was the light of men.’ (John 1:18).
Genesis’ ‘Let there be light’ has a double force. On the one hand, light is presented as the first thing to be created. But St Paul tells us that God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) as though this is not created light but something else. We live in natural light of course but Christ as Light of the World brings the unapproachable light into our world too.
Theology always, and I hope here at Maryvale, deals in both kinds of light. It is a human discipline working in human ways of enquiry into supernatural matters, but its object of attention transcends all human ways and the greatest theologians such as SS. Augustine and Anselm have tried to suggest this. In our time, perhaps Hans Urs von Balthasar and Ratzinger have tried to do something similar. We here at Maryvale cannot set our sights so high, yet, humbly treading in Newman’s illustrious footsteps, we are called both to the ordinary disciplines of thought and research and to some kind of reverence for what we are dealing with - the revelation of the Light of the World, the ‘Kindly Light’.
The Pope said that ‘Light is beautiful because it makes things appear but without showing itself.’ That is true but somehow differs with Lux Mundi, Christ our Light (except in the sense that he chooses to shine through his creatures) who does show himself to the lesser light in our minds. That Light, of course, first shone in the Star of Bethlehem indicating the Christ Child. Drawn to it, like the Magi, we submit to it and are guided and renewed by it as we worship and adore. I hope that it gradshines upon you throughout 2025.
A blessed New Year to you all."
Fr Martin Onuoha, Lecturer in Dogmatic Theology
Dear Students, Alumni and Friends,
First of all, we, the staff at the Maryvale HIRS, wish you every blessing for 2025. Our institute and our students have much to be grateful for this academic year. Once again we recruited good numbers of new students for our BDiv and Licence programmes. This is now the third year since lockdown that numbers are up, and Maryvale is swimming against the tide: elsewhere the university sector in the UK is struggling. We have some way to go, and are planning to recruit good numbers once again for next year. Indeed, we have already accepted the first students for both our programmes. If you know someone who you think might be interested, please ask them to contact Deacon Harry Schnitker:
Oscott Seminary
There has also been a deepening of our relationship with Oscott Seminary. Not only did we have our residential for all years and our final year oral examinations at the college in July, but we also had the first face-to-face residential for first year students in October since Covid. St Mary’s College Oscott has a deep connection to Maryvale House: it was here that the seminary moved when Maryvale House became to small. It is also intimately connected to St John Henry Newman. Above all, Oscott is beautiful, an incarnation in stone of the beauty of our Faith.
We are privileged to be working so closely with the fantastic people at Oscott, some of whom joined a teaching session in July. Early next year, Oscott’s amazing library will become accessible to our students, in what will be a major improvement in the student experience.
Academic Activities
Maryvale’s Seminar Series had a very well attended lecture by Fr Daniel Mahan, the Director of the US Bishops Conference’s Centre for Catechesis. Our students have also been given access to the various seminar series at St Mary’s University, London, an important benefit from the new Maryvale@StMary’s. We are looking forward to the February edition of the Seminar Series, which will feature Dr Pablo Irizar, the Dean of Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Canada and lecturer at McGill University. He will talk on the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and its impact on the indigenous population in Mexico. There's still time to register for the latest forum and we'd be delighted if you could attend.
Our staff has participated in some major academic events, and a some of us have published. Frs Martin Onuoha and Michael Cullinan attended Eredità ed immaginazione [Heritage and Imagination], a conference for over 500 theologians organised by the Vatican. Dr Tamra Fromm represented Maryvale HIRS at a conference of the new US Bishops Conference’s Institute of Catechism. Several staff members contributed to programmes on Radio Maria and both Fr Martin and Deacon Harry Schnitker published books.
Maryvale@StMary’s
The move of our PhD, MA and BA Philosophy programmes to St Mary’s University, London has bedded in well. They continue to bear the Maryvale name and will continue both the high standards of Maryvale as well as its traditions – the HIRS and Maryvale@StMary’s will work to maintain a symbiotic relationship.
Graduation and Other Matters
For the academic year 2023-2024 we decided not to hold a graduation ceremony, partly because the numbers were low as a consequence of the Covid pandemic. Next year, the graduation will take place on Saturday 12 July. A link will be made available for those who wish to view the event.
Finally, we have worked hard at updating the HIRS statutes, which govern our Institute. These have to have the approval of our validator, Faculté Notre Dame de Paris, as well as the Discastery for Culture and Education at the Holy See. We have received the approval from our validator, our Moderator, Archbishop Bernard of Birmingham, and from the Bishops Conference of England and Wales. We are confident of the final approval from Rome.
The Staff at the Maryvale HIRS