The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is pleased to announce the results in the 2013 Father Michael J. McGivney College Essay Contest.
The winner is Mary E. Loesel, a senior at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. Ms. Loesel, who submitted an essay entitled “The Mystery of Man Made Clear,” is completing studies in philosophy and theology.
The essay contest, which takes place annually, asked students to respond to the following question: Two passages from the documents of the Second Vatican Council recur like a refrain throughout Pope John Paul II’s writings: i.) Gaudium et spes, 22: “In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man becomes clear. For Adam, the first man, was a type of him who was to come, Christ the Lord. Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his high calling;” and ii.) Gaudium et spes, 24: “Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.” Drawing on John Paul II’s writings (especially Redemptor hominis), write an essay commenting on how these two passages reciprocally illuminate each other.
Through the Father Michael J. McGivney College Essay Contest, which is named for the founder of the Knights of Columbus, the Pontifical John Paul II Institute seeks to encourage deeper reflection on the themes of culture, person, God, love, marriage, and family, especially as developed in the theological work of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The contest is open to college students who are in their junior or senior years in the given academic year. The topic and details of the 2015 contest will be available in April.
As author of the first-place essay, Ms. Loesel will receive a stipend of $2000.