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The Marian Option: God’s Solution to a Civilization in Crisis

$13.99

By Carrie Gress, PhD

“How can we save civilization?” is the question many people worry about today. 

 As the world descends into chaos, Christians are thinking deeply about how to stem the tide. Many options and suggestions have been presented to deal with Christian persecution and cultural decadence, but none can hold a candle to The Marian Option. 

Dr. Carrie Gress provides a thoroughly researched bird’s eye view of the significant cultural and military events mediated through Mary on behalf of her spiritual children. From miraculous victories to the soaring heights of culture, you have never seen Mary like this before. 

Until now, books on the Virgin Mary have generally focused upon one apparition or various theological elements of this mysterious woman. But the scope of The Marian Option is far greater. Drawing from a vast array of dogmas, Vatican approved apparitions, and writings of the saints, Dr. Gress has pulled together the remarkable story of Mary’s overwhelming influence and intercession.  

 Using history, sound theology, and a detective’s eye, Gress brings to light the fascinating details of Mary’s role in major geopolitical shifts. The reader will see how instrumental the Mother of God was in: 

  • Freeing Spain from Islamic occupation
  • Igniting the largest mass conversion to Catholicism in history
  • Leading an unassuming priest to bring down the world’s most powerful empire without firing a shot
  • Stomping out heresies and false teachings from the Church

Beyond the battlefield, The Marian Option also highlights the link between Marian devotion and high culture, showing how creativity and the arts—painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and literature—all flourish when devotion to her is strong. 

This enthralling chronicle of Mary’s intercession makes clear that Christ’s mother is indeed the most powerful woman in the world, and the answer for how we can save the world and bring us back into her Son’s heart. Not only is she keenly interested in assisting Christians, she has the ability to do so, even in the face of the gravest odds. We just have to ask. 

The Marian Option will leave you with a new perspective on the Blessed Mother and a renewed hope in the future of the Church and the world. 

"The Marian Option offers a brilliant treatment on why the Virgin Mary – the mother of Jesus and our spiritual mother – must be at the heart of any Christian effort to renew society. Providing powerful historical witnesses, concrete examples, and practical cultural remedies, Carrie Gress masterfully describes how in ages past it was only through the maternal intercession of the Queen of Heaven that fervent Catholic resurgences took place, and why our modern age must learn from this and once again turn to Mary. This book is compelling and convincing!"

-- Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, Author, Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon

"This book is provocative in its simplicity. Looking closely at the recent conversations surrounding the so-called 'Benedict Option,' Carrie Gress uncovers something more fundamental to living a full, Christian life: the Marian Option. The call to personal holiness - given by Christ Himself - has no better exemplar over the centuries than our own Mother, Mary. St. Benedict would agree! And so would, I strongly suspect, those attracted to the Benedict Option. Marian devotion, lived through a deep devotion to Our Lady and a life of simple holiness changes the world, because it changes us."

-- Chris Stefanick, Reallifecatholic.com

Author, Carrie Gress has a PhD from the Catholic University of America and is a faculty member at Pontifex University. Her work has appeared at Aleteia, Catholic Vote, Catholic World Report, The National Catholic Register, New Advent, Real Clear Religion, Reddit, Zenit, EWTN Radio, Relevant Radio, BBC and CBC television. She has lived and worked professionally in Washington, DC and Rome, Italy, and her work has been translated into seven languages. Dr. Gress is the author of Nudging Conversions: A Practical Guide to Bringing Those You Love Back to the Church, Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood, and co-author with George Weigel of City of Saints: A Pilgrim’s Guide to John Paul II’s Krakow. A mother of four, she and her family live in Virginia.

Hardcover, 2017

Blessed Mother