A remarkable volume features three ancient texts--a brief prayer to Mary found on a scrap of papyrus in Egypt about a hundred years ago, The Gospel of Mary and The Annunciation Hymn of Rejoicing--that open up the life of Mary, and her role in the church, in new and sometimes startling ways. $10,000 ad/promo.

Click Here to listen to an interview with Frederica Mathewes-Green. Some Christians have piled the status of the mother of Jesus so high that it rivals that of her Son. Others ignore the Virgin Mary entirely. Behind all of the images is a girl who grew up to be the mother of Christ. How did the first Christians view her? What were the commonly understood facts about the Blessed Mother's early life --- before the Annunciation? How did Mary, the mother of Jesus, become the Theotokos? Frederica Mathewes-Green opens up the Virgin Mary's early life, offering a window into her centrality to the Christian Faith in new and sometimes startling ways. “Do you want to get to know Mary a bit better? Are you interested in entering a faithful Marian spirituality? Let Frederica Mathewes-Green facilitate a rich, traditional, authentic meeting of Mary. When it comes to spending time with the mother of our Lord, this book is second only to Scripture.” Lauren F. Winner, author of Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, and Real Sex “The Mary that Frederica Mathewes-Green gives us in these winsome texts–a palpably real woman, at once humble and exalted--transcends the differences that persist even today among the main streams of the Christian tradition, not least because this Mary points beyond herself to the ultimate source of our hope and our joy. -John Wilson, editor, Books & Culture "Frederica Mathewes-Green is a sparkling writer. In The Lost Gospel of Mary, not only is her material fascinating, but so is her perspective as a thoughtful and irenic Orthodox Christian. There is much here to warm the heart as it engages the mind from here to warm the heart as it engages the mind from early in our comon Christian tradition." - Brian McLaren, author of A Generous Orthodoxy and www.brianmclaren.net.

Meet Mary teaches you everything the Bible says about her, what the early Christians believed, and all of the Church's key Marian teachings of 2,000 years.

The Classic Story of a Family's Pilgrimage into the Orthodox Church Veiled in the smoke of incense, the Eastern Orthodox Church has long been an enigma to the Western world. Yet, as Frederica Mathewes-Green discovered, it is a vital, living faith, rich in ritual beauty and steadfast in integrity. Utilizing the framework of the Orthodox calendar, Mathewes-Green chronicles a year in the life of her small Orthodox mission church, eloquently illustrating the joys and blessings an ancient faith can bring to the worshipers of today.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND license. This book reveals exciting early Christian evidence that Mary was remembered as a powerful role model for women leaders—women apostles, baptizers, and presiders at the ritual meal. Early Christian art portrays Mary and other women clergy serving as deacon, presbyter/priest, and bishop. In addition, the two oldest surviving artifacts to depict people at an altar table inside a real church depict women and men in a gender-parallel liturgy inside two of the most important churches in Christendom—Old Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome and the second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Dr. Kateusz’s research brings to light centuries of censorship, both ancient and modern, and debunks the modern imagination that from the beginning only men were apostles and clergy.

With refreshing candor and self-deprecating humor, Wayne takes the reader with him on the adventure to Medjugorje that radically and permanently changed his life. You will discover the apparitions of the Blessed Mother along with him, as he chronicles the ways that the Virgin Mary continues to speak to the world today from Medjugorje. "In a tiny village in the mountains of Yugoslavia, the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, had reportedly been appearing to a group of local teenagers, beginning in June, 1981, and continuing every evening since." So begins journalist Wayne Weible's life-transforming investigation into the veracity of one of the most popular Marian apparition claims in history. What began as a quick attempt to add some spice to his regular newspaper column resulted in a life-long exploration of the apparitions of the Blessed Mother that are still happening at Medjugorje, and the lives that are changed as a result. Do miracles happen? Wayne Weible is one former skeptic who is now convinced that they do. Paraclete Press presents a special, hardcover, illustrated edition of Medjugorje: The Message---the best-selling English-language book on the subject--- on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Mary's first message to six youths in the mountains. This new edition includes a new preface by the author and a special, eight-page photo insert.

She's the simple peasant girl they call the Queen of Heaven. She's the Lord's humble servant, yet an icon of womanly strength. She's ever virgin and the mother of all. Sinners fly to her, but an angel bowed! She's Mary, the mother of Jesus: the most recognized woman in history. And the most misunderstood! Many Protestants grudgingly acknowledge that someone had to bear the Savior, but they otherwise regard Mary as an ordinary, sinful woman. Even if you're a Catholic who grew up with a statue of Mary next to your bed, you probably don't understand her as well as you think — or should. Do you know the Church's four essential Marian doctrines? Do you know how these doctrines are rooted in Scripture and Sacred Tradition? Can you explain to others the difference between the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth? Can you share the messages and secrets of Mary's most famous apparitions? Meet Mary: Getting to Know the Mother of God is a slim volume written by renowned Marian expert Mark Miravalle, and it will help you answer these questions — and more! After reading these pages, you'll know the faithful truth about this woman of contradictions: everything the Bible says about her, what the early Christians believed, and each of the key teachings the Church has proclaimed about her for 2,000 years! Even more important — for Mary herself desires to be known intimately, not academically — you'll learn how to enter into a personal relationship with her. You'll come to regard her not as a distant and unapproachable figure in the heavens, but as a real friend and mother. Most of all, you'll become a better disciple of Jesus. For the Son commands us to imitate Him in all things—including perfect love of His Mother.