Catholic-Protestant dialogue to focus on Mary, Mother of God
By John Shaughnessy
It would be easy for John Kopchik and the Rev. Sally Brower to focus on the differences between Catholics and Protestants—especially concerning the place of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in their faiths.
Yet when Brower and Kopchik each share a story about the difference that Mary has made in their lives, they both do so with a touch of reverence and awe.
Brower’s defining story comes from her experience in healing ministry when she was part of a service for mothers whose babies had died.
“I was with a young mother who had recently miscarried,” recalls Brower, an assisting pastor of an Episcopal congregation. “We went into the sanctuary, just the two of us, and kneeled at the altar rail. She had written a letter to her baby that she placed on the altar. I learned about Mary as an intercessory. I knew Mary would be able to relate to the pain of the mother.
“As soon as we stopped praying, the first person who came to the young mother was her 3-year-old son. He said, ‘The man went behind the altar.’ His mother said the priest goes behind the altar, but the boy said that wasn’t what he meant. The boy looked all around the altar for the man. We didn’t see anything, but the belief was the boy had seen an angel. Of course, Mary is the queen of angels. We believe she was present when she was called that day.”
Kopchik saw another indication of Mary’s influence in an unexpected setting.
“Mary shows up in some very unlikely places,” says Kopchik, a Catholic businessman. “I was on Wall Street, and I was talking to one of the biggest bond traders on Wall Street. I asked him if he wanted to get lunch. He said, ‘Usually, I just walk around and pray the rosary. It settles me down, centers me during a hectic day and lets me think about things that are really important.’ He was a very big fan of Mary.”
Brower and Kopchik will share their stories and their insights during “Mary, Mother of God: A Catholic-Protestant Conversation,” a daylong event on May 5 at the Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center in Beech Grove.
“May is the month of our Blessed Mary, and that’s what prompted us to offer this program for Catholics and non-Catholics,” says Benedictine Sister Mary Luke Jones, the administrator of the Benedict Inn. “We’re always trying at the Benedict Inn to reach out to our Protestant brothers and sisters and engage them in dialogue. Because we think there’s a reclamation of Mary in the life of the Protestant denomination, we thought this might be a good connection.”
Brower is a member of Women Touched By Grace, a spiritual renewal program for clergy women that takes place at the Benedict Inn.
In regard to Mary, “most Protestant groups accept what can be traced back to Scripture,” she says. “They see her as Mary, mother of Jesus. They see her as a model of discipleship, the first disciple in a sense. Where they would differ would be in intercession. Strict Protestants would say we wouldn’t need to pray to her, we have Jesus and we have God. But there are now Protestant theologians who say it’s OK to pray to her and celebrate the feast days of Mary.”
Brower views Mary as a role model.
“Mary brings a feminine presence and a very real presence to our faith,” she says. “For me, she’s the bearer of the Incarnate Word. That God invited her to participate speaks well to women in general. Another way she is a role model is that she is a person touched by grace, and we as ordained women are touched by grace.”
Kopchik has constantly felt the grace of Mary in his life. He’s involved in JustFaith, a social justice program sponsored by Catholic Charities USA. He’s also a member of Legatus, an organization of Catholic business leaders that promotes and supports moral ethics in the workplace.
“The Mary you see is what you get—someone who loves her son and loves God,” Kopchik says. “She was in her teens, she had never been in school and an angel appears to her and says essentially, ‘You’re the tipping point of human history.’
“She shows that you can be strong but gentle. You can be noble but humble. You could be a central actor in the saving actions of humankind and be selfless. There’s a core decency she stood for that makes sense in business and life.”
Kopchik knows that Catholics and Protestants have disagreements in doctrine about Mary, but he also believes they share an incredible respect for her.
He refers to a quote about Mary and Jesus from the book The Lord by Msgr. Romano Guardini: “To get a full understanding of the tree as it is, we must look to the earth where its roots are.”
Kopchik says, “If you love and believe that Jesus is the central means of our salvation, you have to ask who knew him, who loved him best. It was Mary.” †
‘Mary, Mother of God:
A Catholic-Protestant Conversation’
Where: Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center, 1402 Southern Ave., Beech Grove.
When: May 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: Designed for both Catholics and Protestants, the event is billed as a conversation between Catholic and Protestant speakers that will offer a spiritual journey to explore and reaffirm the common beliefs on the role of Mary within the Christian faith.
Who: The main speakers are John Kopchik, a Catholic businessman from Oregon, and the Rev. Sally Brower, an assisting pastor for an Episcopal congregation in North Carolina.
Cost: $50, includes lunch, coffee and refreshments.
Registration or more information: Call 317-788-7581. †