## **CENTRE FOR MARIAN STUDIES**
## **Registered Charity 1183579**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2021**
The Centre for Marian Studies (the CMS), established in 1995, provides educational courses, promotes research and maintains a library, on subjects relating to the theology and wider cult of the Virgin Mary. It has no religious affiliation and is open to members of any religious tradition or none. Members of the CMS are dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration to support and advance Marian scholarship.
The CMS was originally registered with a Trust Deed in 1997 as The Marian Study Centre (Registered Charity 1066253). In 2019 the decision was taken to register the charity as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, whose only voting members are its charity trustees. Our registration was confirmed on 24 May 2019. This annual report covers the period from 1st September 2020 to 31st August 2021, as the latter is our accounting end of year date.
## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**
The CMS aims to advance the education of the public in all matters related to the Virgin Mary, including any theology, devotion, and other social and cultural activities pertaining to her, in particular for the provision of a library, a picture collection, and other material resources, the undertaking of academic research and the dissemination of the useful results to the public and the provision of educational courses and lectures.
In April 2021 the CMS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with St Mary’s University in Twickenham to develop mutual agreements for cooperation based on our respective academic and educational needs. St Mary’s University is now the official home of the CMS, and the CMS library collection will enhance the theological resources held at the university and be available to researchers in Mariology.
The trustees have cross-referenced these objectives and activities with the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.
## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**
The CMS website, which is maintained on a voluntary basis by a member of the CMS Management Committee, provides information on Marian news and events: www.marianstudies.ac.uk.
The Trustees and members of the Management Committee of the CMS are actively engaged in Marian Studies and examples of their publications are listed on the charity’s website: https://www.marianstudies.ac.uk/publications
In order to promote research, we have also now developed a scheme that allows people to apply to become Fellows, Members and Associates of the CMS. The full details are posted online on our website: https://www.marianstudies.ac.uk/membership
## **International conference**
Although some of our activities were curtailed because of the pandemic, we made use of the Zoom platform to meet for administrative and educational purposes. The in-person conference that we had intended to hold in July 2021 (postponed from 2020 because of the Covid-19 lockdown) was transformed into an online event that ran from 8[th] - 10[th] July 2021. As the CMS has no religious affiliation and is open to members of any religious tradition or none, it was fitting that this first international collaboration with St Mary’s University (our new home) was entitled ‘Bridges and Boundaries: the role of the Virgin Mary in faith and culture’ and included presentations on Christianity, Judaism and Islam. We were joined by eighteen speakers from the UK, US, Mexico, Ireland, Germany and Taiwan. There was no charge to attend the event and we were delighted to see registrations from many countries. The conference succeeded in bringing together different faith communities as we explored the way in which the Virgin Mary has inspired diverse works of culture (both religious and secular) across the centuries.
## **Journal**
On 8th July 2021, during the ‘Bridges and Boundaries’ conference, the CMS relaunched its journal entitled _Maria: A Journal of Marian Studies_ , which last appeared in print format in 2003. The new journal is peer reviewed, online and open access. The first issue contained three articles, two translations of Marian texts not previously available in English, as well as three book reviews: https://www.marianstudies.ac.uk/nsvol1july2020
In order to register the journal content for the Digital Object Identifier System, we have joined the mEDRA scheme. The cost of setting up the initial account, which included 15 DOIs, was £260.80.
The journal contributes to our commitment to publish innovative Marian research in the fields of theology, philosophy, literature, history, visual culture, music, sociology, anthropology and psychology. It is hoped that many of the papers from our July 2021 conference will subsequently appear in _Maria_ . It is our intention to publish the journal twice a year in January and July.
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## **Financial review**
## **Centre for Marian Studies: Accounts 2020-21**
## **Year End: 31 August 2021**
||Income|Outgoings|
|---|---|---|
|**Balance at 1st September**
**2020**|**2701.68**||
|Donations|167.94||
|Fellowship fees|250.00||
|Membership fees|35.00||
|Conference payment St
Mary’s|368.00||
|Paypal test|0.67||
|mEDRA journal DOIs||260.80|
|TOTALS|821.61|260.80|
||||
|Net income|560.81||
||||
|**Balance at 31st August**
**2021**|**3262.49**||
The accounts for 2020-21 are not complicated and our internal review process is sufficient. We received £560.81 made of up of donations, fees from Fellows and Members, and an outstanding payment of £360 from St Mary’s University that relates to a conference held in December 2018. Our only outgoing payment was the fee of £260.80 to mEDRA for the DOIs for the journal. If fundraising is successful in the future, it will be necessary to undergo external financial monitoring.
At present, the funds are unrestricted, i.e. not earmarked for specific purposes. The funds held by the CMS are also too small for the holding of reserves.
We have concluded that the CMS has the funds and resources for it to be an ongoing concern for 2021-22.
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## **Structure, governance and management**
The CMS is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and has used the Charity Commission’s template for its governing document.
All trustees must be aged over 16 years and at least one of the trustees of the Centre for Marian Studies must be 18 years of age or over. The maximum number of charity trustees is twelve and the minimum number is three. If the number falls below the minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees may act only to call a meeting of the charity trustees, or appoint a new charity trustee. The quorum for a trustees’ meeting is two. Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the Centre for Marian Studies.
## **Management of the charity**
During the past year, one member of our Management Committee resigned because of additional work commitments. We are also very sad to record that the Very Reverend Dr Kevin Alban, who was a dedicated member of our charity, died in May 2021. As a result, the Centre for Marian Studies is currently run by six trustees and four members of the Management Committee, all of whom contribute to the aims of the charity on a voluntary basis.
## **Trustees**
Dr Melanie Landman Professor Andrew Louth Dr Catherine O’Brien (Chair of Trustees) Dr Eileen Rubery Mr Mike Russell Reverend Canon Dr Paul Williams
## **Members of the Management Committee**
Dr Sarah Jane Boss (Secretary and Librarian) Dr Chris Maunder (Treasurer) Mrs Natalie Maunder (Website coordinator) Dr Jacob Phillips (Conference organiser)
The full committee meets twice a year, usually in September and March.
## **Reference and administrative details**
The Centre for Marian Studies Registered Charity 1183579 c/o The Institute of Theology and Liberal Arts, St Mary’s University, Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, TW1 4SX
Email: info@marianstudies.ac.uk
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