20.02.2023,
Among the books that Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC has written about Our Lady, Marian Gems: Daily Wisdom on Our Lady (2014) stands out: as a collection of short meditations on Our Lady by various saints, blesseds, and popes arranged to cover the entire year, it makes for an easy and nourishing read for anyone interested in deepening one's devotion to Mary. After publishing a Romanian translation of a similar book by the same author dedicated to St. Joseph (Nestematele Sfântului Iosif. Înțelepciune zilnică despre părintele nostru spiritual [Cluj-Napoca: Viața Creștină, 2021]), ITI’s Associate Professor for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Sources (Greek and Latin), Dr. Andrei Gotia, felt called to offer Romanian readers the book on Our Lady as well: Nestematele Maicii Domnului. Înțelepciune zilnică despre Sfânta Fecioară Maria (Cluj-Napoca: Viața creștină, 2022).
In comparison to the original, this translation also offers quotes from the recently beatified Romanian prelates Iuliu Hossu, Ioan Suciu, Anton Durcovici and Vladimir Ghika. The Loreto Litany was also enriched with the three new invocations added by Pope Francis in 2020. Another novelty is the addition of a prayer to Our Lady written by Fr. Tertulian Langa, the translator’s grandfather. ITI alumnus (and the translator's youngest brother) Rev. Fr. Dr. Ioan Gotia, dcjm (who painted the Byzantine Chapel in Trumau) contributed two icons to the book which serve as illustrations for the cover and the month of March. As a final touch to this family enterprise, the proofreading was done by Mrs. Maria Gotia and Fr. Cristian Langa, the translator’s mother and uncle, respectively. May this book help Romanian readers get to know Our Lady better and follow in her footsteps.