In light of the shock and confusion caused by the clerical scandals of the summer of 2018, Ave Maria University organized a conference offering a response to the crisis. Its aim would be to use Ave Maria University's commitment to serving the Church through faithful scholarship as a platform to offer helpful reflections on what had taken place and how the Church might move forward. As a mission-driven institution, Ave Maria University wanted to offer its fidelity to truth as a Catholic university; its Marian identity as ""Ave Maria"" University, and the learned wisdom of its own professors and scholarly friends as a resource for the faithful and Church leaders to turn to during this time of crisis.

The conference, ""Crisis in the Church: On the Faith of Mary as the Pathway to Peace,"" took place on the Ave Maria University campus on January 11-12, 2019. The quality of the papers and the fellowship enjoyed by the participans and attendees exceeded expectations. Sapienta Press of Ave Maria University hopes that by disseminating these conference proceedings in book form, many others will also benefit from the wisdom, fidelity, and learning offered by each of the contributors.