Church to celebrate Mary, her key role

The mother of Jesus generates strong feelings among Christians.

By LISA BUIE, Times Staff Writer
Published August 13, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Stephen J. Coddington | Times] Parishioner Ann Monical, left, and the Rev. Dr. William Dopp, pastor of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Hudson, pose for a portrait inside the church. Monical will sing the Song of Mary, also known as the Magnificat, during the Feast of the Blessed Virgin this Wednesday.

She's obedient. She's a revolutionary. Some say she went her whole life never having had sex. Others point out the fact that she had several children.

She enjoys direct access to God and can put in a good word for folks who ask nicely. While special, she has no closer link to God than anyone else.

In spite of the contrasting beliefs, the woman often depicted in a pale blue robe and halo evokes strong feelings among followers of her son.

"The people of the church need to know that Mary is important in the life of the church," said the Rev. William F. Dopp, rector at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Hudson. "Mary is to be honored."

To help achieve that end, Dopp's church is offering a service for Mary on Wednesday, her feast day. It includes a dramatic reading of words attributed to Mary, as well as a teaching on her role in the church.

While Roman Catholic churches routinely revere Mary and hold special Mass on her feast day, it's rarer for other denominations.

"Mary is often misunderstood by and kept at a distance by Protestant churches," said Amy-Jill Levine, professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt University and author of A Feminist Companion to Mariology. She said such a celebration of Mary and her role is appropriate.

"It's biblical. It's warranted." She said Mary's response to the angel, known as the Magnificat, is a testament to her great faith and concern for the poor and the oppressed.

"It's a great, great hymn."

Dopp said it will be the first time his church has done that in the two years he has been there.

With women responsible for much of the Christian church's growth - roughly 60 percent of his 450-member congregation is female - he thinks it's important that biblical women be recognized.

"Women helped Jesus through his ministry," Dopp said. "Mary Magdalene was the first to go out and proclaim the good news of the Resurrection when the male disciples ran away and hid."

He also pointed out the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus at a well. He confided that he was the Messiah, and she helped convert most of her village.

Dopp, whose sanctuary has an altar dedicated to Mary, was careful to point out that Episcopalians do not equate her with God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.

"We worship Jesus, not Mary," he said. "But we need to take a special time for Mary."

The Rev. Elbert Nasworthy of Myrtle Lake Baptist Church in Land O'Lakes agrees that Mary was a woman of remarkable faith. But you won't find an altar at his church, and you won't find a worship service devoted to her. You might, however, hear the song Mary Did You Know? performed at Christmas.

"We recognize Mary as the mother of God's son," he said. "She was set apart by God for that purpose. That's very important. But that's as far we go with any character in the Bible."

Christians are not the only ones who respect Mary. In the Koran, God proclaims her the best woman among all humanity, and a section is even devoted to her childhood. Muslims also believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.

Psychoanalyst Loren Woodson, who wrote a novel called The Passion of Maryam, isn't surprised at the worldwide fascination with Mary. She represents the perfect mother we long for, especially when our own mothers fall short.

In an e-mail to the St. Petersburg Times, he wrote: "That she is held and regarded as a virgin captures her purity, i.e. the way her positive characteristics remain unsullied, uncompromised, untainted by the negative aspects with which we have to otherwise, at times, contemplate our mothers."

Fast Facts:

If you go

What: Service and teaching on St. Mary

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 15801 U.S. 19, Hudson

Contact: For information, call (727) 863-8560

[Last modified August 12, 2007, 21:15:24]