Why Mary?

Created on October 18, 2025

2025   ·   apologetics   Mariology   ·   faith

The question of why we need Mary is often a very important question for those of the Protestant persuasion. I find a lot of sympathy with the position because I myself didn’t really find much support on the issue and relied more on my faith that the Catholic Church is the true church of Christ. For some that will not be a satisfactory response and I totally understand as it is not intended to convince. I’ve researched the topic much more extensively below for the benefit of Protestant readers who might be interested in understanding the biblical and theological basis for such a doctrine that would undoubtably cause difficulty for Protestants.

I find myself sympathizing with Protestants once more by noticing the critique offered by the deceased Dr. Ben Arbour (Rest in Peace) who said that he found that obligation imposed by the Catholic Church to believe the Marian Dogmas to be unnecessary and divisive. I will link the paper below because I find it to be a very sincere objection to the declaration and definition of the dogmas. If the reader is not aware already, I would suggest refering to some trustworthy source on the definitions and usage of such terms in Catholic contexts. One example I am using is the term dogma which has a specific definition that may not be obvious to a non-Catholic. I hope that the defenses I pose below provide solid ground for dogmas which the church holds so dearly.

Mariology is a study that exceeds the study of just the Virgin Mary, but is intimately connected with areas of Christology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, supernatural anthropology, and eschatology [1]. Mary in vertical dimensions by her three-fold relation to the Trinity which she has with the three Divine Persons. She has a horizontal relation with the Church and then to humanity and finally to the universe [1]. The mediation of Mary can be seen through the three ministries of Christ as prophet, king, and priest. The mediation of Mary reflects her maternal priesthood. We can see Mary’s queenship in the context of her Assumption. Finally, we see the prophetic role of Mary through her apparations such as that at Guadalupe or Fatima. Marian apparations are called the “field most neglected, unknown, and least researched, in a scholarly manner,in all of theology [Marian Apparitions: Their Meaning, Their Value, and Their Relevant Message].”

Biblical Foundations

Mary in her personhood is the New Testament embodied. One example of this is the accomodation of Mary made in Biblical texts like Psalm 87, the analogy of Judith who is honored Jdt 15:9, the bride of the Messianic king (Psalm 45), the bride in the Song of Songs, and the personification of Wisdom who reflects Marian characteristics. We also see that the person of Mary is prepared for in the Old Testament which is replete with references to her if looked in a typological and allegorical way. There is a three-fold way to understand Mary from the Old Testament.* a moral preparation There exists a line of faith and holiness which serves as the template and foundation for which Mary will provide her Magnificat. We can trust that Mary is among the poor and the humble of the Lord as found in Lk 1:48 and Lk 1:52.

  • a typological preparation Mary is a type of the variety that many of the holy women in the Bible represent. Her conception of a prophet like Hannah is one such example. She is also the preeminent example of the daughter of Zion, the great mothers of Israel, women who experience miraculous births, and the women who bring about the salvation of the People of God.
  • a prophetic preparation We see the prophetic nature of Mary through references to the following passages:* Genesis 3:15
    • Isaiah 7:14
    • Micah 5:2-3

What does St. John Henry Newman write about the immaculate conception?Memo on the Immaculate Conception: http://www.cin.org/liter/memoimma.html What does the text mean by maternal priesthood of Mary? What did the medievals say about Mary: St. Bernard of Clairvaux Colloquy of Blessed Virgin and Angel



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