Christendom College theology professor Mary Stanford will offer two talks on marriage in Christendom’s home Diocese of Arlington in the coming weeks, the first on February 26 and the second on March 4. Pulling from her acclaimed book, The Obedience Paradox, Stanford will explain how men and women are uniquely made for each other, showing the ways in which the natural gifts of couples prepare them for a truly fruitful union.
Stanford, who received her master’s degree in theological studies from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, will first speak at Saint James Catholic Church on February 26 as part of their Parish Speaker Series. The talk, titled “Male and Female — He Created Them: In Defense of Complementarity,” will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the parish.
The second talk, occurring on March 4, will be in Alexandria as part of the Diocese of Arlington’s Theology on Tap series. Giving a similar talk on complementarity, Stanford will delve deeper into why Catholics believe that marriage is fulfilling. The talk will be held at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub in Alexandria, Virginia, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The Obedience Paradox is Stanford’s latest contribution to the ongoing debate over marriage in the twenty-first century, following on numerous articles, talks, and classes given on Pope Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Since its release, the book has garnered extensive acclaim, with numerous scholars and religious saying the book offers “a new path forward” in the ongoing conversation on marriage and the traditional concepts of masculinity and femininity.
Stanford is a speaker, teacher, and writer on Catholic marriage and family life. She is an adjunct professor at Christendom and has a master’s degree in theological studies from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. She and her husband, fellow Christendom professor Dr. Trey Stanford, have seven children.