Congratulations to Dr. Mary Healy, professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and parishioner at Christ the King parish in Ann Arbor, upon being appointed a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, an advisory body directly serving the Holy Father on matters of liturgy and sacraments.
“I hope only to be faithful to what the Lord is asking of me, and to serve the Dicastery in promoting the liturgical formation of all Catholics, so we can enter more deeply into the liturgy and experience its power in our lives,” said Dr. Healy, pictured above, in response to her appointment, January 15.
“As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, ‘If you knew the gift of God’…. I hope we can help people come to understand more fully the immensity of what God has given us in Christ.”
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, led by English Cardinal Arthur Roche, directly advises Pope Francis and oversees matters related to the practice and promotion of the Mass, sacraments and liturgies in the Latin Church.
The dicastery is comprised of approximately two dozen members — including cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and lay men and women — from all over the world.
Dr. Healy, a sought-after speaker and prolific author on topics related to Sacred Scripture, spiritual charisms and healing ministry, has taught Scripture and biblical history to seminarians and lay students at Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 2008.
She is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including the “Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture,” “The Spiritual Gifts Handbook,” and “Healing.”
“Dr. Healy has generously lent her gifts and talents to the Church through teaching and promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Father Stephen Burr, Rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
“I am grateful for her ministry as a professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and pray she is able to provide insight into God’s will for His Church through this opportunity to serve as a member of a dicastery.”
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Dr. Healy as one of the first three women ever to serve on the Pontifical Biblical Commission. She has also served as a consultor to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and as a member of the Pentecostal-Catholic International Dialogue, which serves the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
In addition to Dr. Healy, the Holy Father also named as new members of the dicastery Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, master of pontifical liturgical celebrations and head of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir; Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon; and Donna Lynn Orsuto, lecturer at the Collegium Maximum of the Pontifical Gregorian University and director of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas in Rome.
Among the tasks of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the confirmation and translation of liturgical texts, ensuring liturgical norms are followed, promoting sacred music and art, regulating and confirming relics, and advising the pope on matters related to sacramental and liturgical practice.
• Additional reporting courtesy of Detroit Catholic https://www.detroitcatholic.com/
• Photo by Valaurian Waller | Detroit Catholic
