Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God

by Ginny Kubitz Moyer

"There's no single image of Mary that speaks to women today, and in this lies her power. She's the woman with a thousand faces and a thousand titles, transcending the boundaries of culture and age. She also walks with us on our individual journeys, engaging us in any number of different ways as our circumstances shift and change…You never can predict when or how she'll show up, smiling with gentle recognition, taking up residence in your heart." —From the Epilogue

How does Mary, the Mother of God, speak to the modern female experience?

Does she comfort, challenge or inspire?

Ginny Moyer wanted to know how women today would answer those questions, so she invited women of all ages, some cradle Catholics and some converts, some lay and some religious, to share their thoughts on Mary. In the process of collecting women's stories, Moyer learned that the answers to these questions are as diverse as the women themselves.

In Mary and Me you will discover:
An eating disorder activist who describes how Mary helped her overcome her struggles with anorexia. An attorney who reveals how a trip to the Holy Land inspired her to see Mary not as a passive figure but as a tough and resilient woman. A religious sister who shares how the Visitation inspires her work with recovering drug addicts and prostitutes. A music teacher and mother who explains her difficulty in relating to Mary's perfection, but how she still treasures Mary as a personal friend and ally.
Woven with commentary and Scripture references, Mary and Me offers a fresh, compelling look at the depth and breadth of Mary's influence on women today.

Genres: Religion

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Ginny Kubitz Moyer is an author of historical fiction. Her novel A Golden Life was named one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Books of 2024, and her debut novel The Seeing Garden won Silver in the 2023 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards for historical fiction. She has also written several books on women's spirituality. Ginny lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she gardens, walks her rescue dog, and constantly searches for more bookshelf space.

Reviews

[Nancy Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually my second reading of this book however my first reading was quite long ago. Living the Roman Catholic faith, as it was taught to me by nuns and priests, is a difficult path. Thankfully this lovely book reminds me again Mary can be our guide and comfort throughout our life.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old-school Catholicism's sweet, passive view of Mary seemed so irrelevant once feminism came in that I pretty much chucked her out of my life in the '70s. Plus, if God was not peevish, why would I need to ask him mother to intercede for me? This book tries to bring Mary up to date with a modern spirituality. I had some trouble connecting with it, but I'll try to give her another chance in my life and see what comes of it.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books that will be going on my Great Books to Lend and Buy for Others list. I really enjoyed it.

My full review is on my blog, here.

[Diane Stavrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it very much. Interesting to hear Catholic women of all stages in their lives relate their faith from a personal perspective within a real life experience. The doctrine of the Immaculate Virgin was given some revealing deeper exposes on Mary and what this doctrine means to one's faith.

[Marjie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a friend of mine! It's a great book with modern women's reflections on Mary. Look for my name in the credits! I haven't finished it, but am really enjoying it so far.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, fast read. I enjoyed the familiar writing style, but felt it lacked cohesion.