Spretnak, a feminist Catholic and religion professor, argues forcefully that while the "progressive" (rational, modern) wing of Catholicism that initiated reforms in Vatican II made some very good changes, it was utterly wrong to "disappear" Mary. Spretnak purposely uses this verb in the same manner as with unexplained kidnappings and murder by a Latin American junta
: the Catholic Church, she says, took the Salve Regina out of the mass and removed her statues from the churches. But just as the families of los desaparecidos
keep their loved ones' images alive through private memories and tributes, so too have millions of Catholics kept Mary in her former place as Queen of Heaven. Spretnak is not convinced that it is a more feminist position to reduce Mary to her biblical role as a simple woman from Nazareth; she claims instead that it would be much more empowering to women to return Mary to her cosmological office as a mediatrix and co-redeemer. The book is a nice blend of theological argument and reportage of popular piety, outlining a fissure within the Catholic Church between those who miss the old Mary and those who support her more limited status. Spretnak highlights the resurgence of Marian devotions and veneration, which have been privatized to the home (home shrines, the revival of the rosary) and even the garden (the resurgence of medieval Mary Gardens). Spretnak's writing is engaging but occasionally overly strident, as when she follows a factual statement with the gratuitous italicized comment, "I'm not making this up.
" (Jan. 15)
