Sacred Heart Major Seminary professor, Scripture scholar joins papal advisory body tasked with promoting liturgy, sacraments
DETROIT — Pope Francis on Jan. 11 appointed Detroit biblical scholar and professor Mary Healy, STL, STD, as one of four new members of the Vatican's Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, an advisory body directly serving the pope on matters of liturgy and sacraments.
The appointment of Healy, a professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and a well-known expert on biblical interpretation, evangelization, spirituality and healing ministry, is significant as Pope Francis continues to add to the number of laity and women serving in leadership roles in the Roman Curia.
Although Sacred Heart faculty members — including Healy — have previously served on Vatican councils and commissions, Healy's appointment is the first time a Detroit layperson has been named as a member of a Vatican dicastery, which are the closest advisory bodies to the pope.
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, led by British 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.
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."
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Healy as one of the first three women ever to serve on the Pontifical Biblical Commission. She also has 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 Healy, the pope 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.
The dicastery was previously known as the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Disciple of the Sacraments, having been updated in 2022 as part of Pope Francis' ongoing reform of the Roman Curia.
