Episode 4: The Marian Option—Carrie Gress

By Thomas V. Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | May 22, 2018 | In The Catholic Culture Podcast

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There is an easy, short, perfect and sure way to save our failing Western civilization that is often overlooked in the endless slew of books and articles penned by Catholic intellectuals: Turn to Mary. Carrie Gress’s book The Marian Option: God’s Solution to a Civilization in Crisis reminds us that in crisis after overwhelming civilizational crisis, Mary has saved the day when her children had the humility and simplicity to beg her for help. Our age is no different.

In this episode, Carrie and I discuss The Marian Option, as well as her latest book, Marian Consecration for Children, the importance of women in the church, and the pernicious attempts by “Catholic feminists” to remake Mary in the image of Beyoncé.

Come, Holy Spirit! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!

Links:

The Marian Option

Marian Consecration for Children

Carrie’s blog, My Favorite Catholic Things

Helena Daily

Books on Marian consecration for adults:

St. Louis de Montfort: True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and The Secret of Mary

Preparation for Total Consecration According to St. Louis de Montfort, Fr. Hugh Gillespie, S.M.M.

33 Days to Morning Glory, Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, M.I.C.

Other books mentioned:

The World’s First Love, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen

Jesus and His Mother, Fr. Andre Feuillet (out of print)

Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood, Carrie Gress

Timestamps:

Carrie Gress interview

2:55 Carrie’s book panned by wacky individual

4:15 Origin of The Marian Option—nothing wrong with Benedict, but Mary is more powerful, central and directly relevant to contemporary challenges

9:17 The big picture of Mary’s influence on world history; Mary’s influence on the Battle of New Orleans

10:12 Little-known intercontinental links between Marian events; example: Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Reconquista, the conversation of Mexico and the Battle of Lepanto

15:26 Why the Marian Option is not just an option

17:15 How cultures flourish under Mary

18:41 Why Catholic intellectuals look to their own pet projects to save the West and not to Mary; hang-ups about private revelation; the limits of argumentation

26:01 Carrie’s new book, Marian Consecration for Children; giving children a sense of their mission here and now

37:01 The influence of women on culture

40:15 The importance of women, feminine spirituality and the Church as feminine vs. modern “feminization” of the Church

47:10 The attempts by “Catholic feminists” to make their own Mary

53:54 “Equal” is not a useful word

55:09 Women are demonstrably unhappier under today’s model of womanhood

57:30 Sts. John Paul II and Edith Stein on feminism

1:00:59 The dangers of trying to create Catholic versions of ideologies

1:02:48 Carrie’s new content aggregate site for Catholic women, Helena Daily

1:07:00 Books on Marian consecration for adults

1:10:24 This week’s excerpt: Ven. Fulton J. Sheen

Theme music: “Franciscan Eyes”, written and performed by Thomas Mirus. Download the Catholic Culture Podcast soundtrack.