Catholics Don't Have a Monopoly on Mary: Her Motherhood Reaches Out

Over the past few years, my personal study regarding Mariology, or the study of Mary in light of Christology, (the study of Christ), has brought me in contact with the members of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Now that's an organization with a long title, but just take a moment to consider the important work it might do. Imagine what might happen if Catholics and non-Catholics alike found peaceful co-existance around a common Mother?

I write about it in my column this week at Patheos, titled "Blessed Virgin Mary: A Mother Not Just for Catholics".

Here's an excerpt:

As a young girl, I somehow got the impression that Catholics held the monopoly on the Blessed Virgin Mary. After all, we’re the ones who set aside feast days like today, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. As a kid, some of my local Protestant friends scoffed at Mary, thinking erroneously that we Catholics worshipped her, or somehow deified her. As it turns out, both points of view were suffering from a profound tunnel vision. 

How much I had to learn, both of Mary, and of the genuine esteem and interest that other faith traditions held for her, whose life and destiny exemplified both the love and the glory of God. 

Today, the Catholic Church, indeed, celebrates Mary, the Immaculate Conception, officially promulgated in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. 

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854). 

But the seeds of this dogma are found much earlier than 1854. In fact Pope Pius IX was just affirming what was already grounded in Sacred Scripture. To begin with, there is the familiar story of the Annunciation to Mary in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel.
 And the angel… said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (Luke 1:28 Douay-Rheims version). 

Mary’s person is declared to be full of grace in this verse. She is singled out from the rest of humanity. Her ontological nature or her being -- her very existence -- is full of grace according to God’s Word on the lips of the Angel. 

This makes Mary unique. One-of-a-kind. Pure. Immaculate. “Blessed…" 

Mary’s Immaculate Conception reveals the love and the glory of God, and her being and magnificent life is God’s masterpiece in Creation. Mary is the recipient of God’s extraordinary love and highest praise as shown through the message of the Angel. 

What is accomplished in Mary points to the glory of God. Her role in human history, and ultimately, salvation history, has meaning for us all. Her life is intimately acquainted with every member of the Trinity: Mary is the faithful Daughter of the Father, the loving Mother to the Son, and the fruitful Spouse of the Holy Spirit. 

What’s more, Mary’s way of life is a beacon for many people… even those who do not ascribe to the Catholic Christian tradition. She is a spiritual mother to millions of children around the globe: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and Muslim. 

One example of this blessedness of the Virgin Mary is found within the conversations and ongoing work within the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its mission brings together scholars, clerics, and laity interested in finding Mary as point of union and connection, rather than division. 

The Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ESBVM) exists to advance the study at various levels of the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church, under Christ and of related theological questions; and in the light of such study to promote ecumenical devotion. Its aim is to show that, in the Blessed Virgin Mary, Christians of many traditions may find a focus in their search for unity. (Taken from the ESBVM website.)

Read the whole thing. 

This article contains commentary from Dr. Virginia Kimball and Dr. Maura Hearden, two theologians who have been frequent guests on Among Women. 

Dr. Kimball joined us for AW 1, 2, 100, & 101.
Dr. Hearden joined us for AW 31, 32, & 83.

Scholars from different faith traditions convene and celebrate Mary

For a few years, I have enjoyed membership in the ESBVM -- the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an international organization that works to promote greater understanding and dialogue of the significance of the Blessed Virgin Mary between Christian and non-Christian religions.

A new book of essays from top scholars in the Society has just been released and I am happy to support their work. Here is the press release that explains the fascinating scope of their work:

New Pan-Christian Book on the Mother of Christ!

New chance to promote Mary across denominational borders 

What are twenty-first-century Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians saying about the mother of the Christian Messiah?  How much do we hold in common?  How much is disputed? What can be learned from the rich heritage of other Christian traditions?   What can be learned from Judaism and Islam?

Discover the answers to these and other questions!

 Order Mary for the Love and Glory of God, (eds. Maura Hearden, Ph.D. and Virginia Kimball, S.T.D.): This remarkable book, just published, is an engaging and informative collection of essays written by scholars and clergy from the many and varied traditions of eastern and western Christianity.

Retail price: $25

To order: Contact the ESBVM at esbvmeditor@gmail.com. (Also available through online book dealers.)

 Become part of an ecumenical Marian organization: Mary for the Love and Glory of God is the fruit of the first International Congress of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ESBVM) to have been held in the United States.  The Society, which began in the United Kingdom in 1967 and spread to the United States a decade later, exists to promote ecumenical study of and devotion to Mary as a vital component of Christian unity. 

 Join the ESBVM: Theologians, clergy, and lay people from all Christian traditions who wish to explore the role that Christ’s mother played in salvation history and her relevance to our lives today are encouraged to join as we strive to obey Christ’s command “That they may all be one” (Jn 17:21).

 To find out more about the ESBVM, go to the international website: www.esbvm.org.

 For ESBVM membership in the United States, send an email to the chapter president, Dr. Virginia Kimball: virginiakimball@comcast.net.

The co-editor and current President of the US Chapter of the ESBVM, Virginia Kimball, STD, of Assumption College (Worchester, MA) was a recent guest on Among Women (See episodes 100 & 101).


Finally, co-editor, Maura Hearden, PhD, of DeSales University (Center Valley, PA) has also appeared as a guest on Among Women (See episodes 31, 32, and 83.)