Announcing "When Mary Calls: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God"

"I love this book"--Scott Hahn, Popular Author and Scripture Scholar

Dear Friends,

In less than three weeks, on May 5, 2026, my book on Mary will be officially released! If you like, you can pre-order When Mary Calls: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God now and be sure to have it before Mother’s Day.

I’ve been invited to share about the book in New York City on April 22, and in Washington DC on May 29 and 30 and then again in DC on June 10 (both in person and live streamed). See below for details on those events! And stay tuned for the release of already-recorded interviews about the book with my friends Tammy Peterson (who wrote a foreward to the book and is profiled in the book), Eric Metaxas (who endorsed the book and shared a surprising story about Mary in his life in our recent interview about the book for Socrates in the Studio).

My husband David’s art graces the cover of my book!

My neighbor and mentor, the renowned historian Peter Brown, kindly wrote, “In a series of penetrating case studies and interviews, Margarita Mooney Clayton brings alive the dynamic presence of the Virgin Mary in the lives of contemporary persons—Christians of various denominations as well as non-Christians, men and women of widely different backgrounds and situations. To read When Mary Calls is to stumble unexpectedly upon an ancient healing well hidden in the folds of our dry modern world.”

After an introduction where I discuss the trends in faith and culture that led me to write this book, I share my reflections on relying on Mary to help me navigate dangerous trips to assist political and religious dissidents in Communist Cuba. Plough magazine published an excerpt from that piece, and you can come hear me discuss that experience on April 22, 2026, in New York.

I’m immensely grateful to the other six people whose memoirs are the backbone of an exploration of Mary’s spiritual presence in our troubled times, leading people from fear to hope, from confusion to light, from loneliness to the church. Jonathan Pageau, icon carver and host of the Symbolic World podcast wrote, “As the shadow of secularism passes over us, an increasing multitude of people wish to experience a deep connection with God and experience His presence in creation. hen Mary Calls will help us remember Mary as both the Mother of God and our own mother.”

For all of those I profile in the book, regardless of where they began their faith journeys—as a seeker, a Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox Mary’s motherhood is a real presence alongside them as they seek to understand suffering and live with compassion for others, aim to co-create beautiful music and art that expresses human dignity.

On May 29 and 30, 2026, at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, I’m honored to be leading morning devotions using the Book of Common Prayer and Marian hymns and antiphons as part of The Understory, a multi-day cultural festival organized by the leaders of Comment magazine. I hope to see you there!

A lovely rendering of the National Cathedral by Alyssa Kurien (look for her on Etsy!)

On June 10, 2026, both in person and live-streamed, I’ll present on the book at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, DC. A long time browser and buyer of their books, I’m thrilled to be a speaker in their lovely facility just blocks from the White House! Click here to save your spot or watch this event online.

Is Mary new to you? Don’t worry—this book is for everyone, regardless of what they do or do not know about Mary. I just ask that you read the book with an open heart, that you be willing to know Mary as a subject, a person, not merely a point of division among some Christians. (If you want to clarify doctrinal issues right away, then turn first to the detailed annotated bibliography of the book and read for yourself Scripture scholars, church historians, and doctrinal works on Mary from Orthodox, Catholics, mainline Protestants and Evangelicals.)

I want this book to help people to know Mary and to revere her through the riches of the artistic and musical traditions of the church, traditions which are being enlivened today, which can be found in the great churches that have been built that can enrich our lives and extend open up our hearts to Scripture and allow us to know Mary as a person, to hear her in the Scriptures, to see her in art, and ultimately, like the people in my book to hear her in our hearts. We honor Mary when we see her Scripture, when we gaze upon her depicted in artistic presentations of Scripture, and when raise ours voice to hers, and with hers, in prayers of praise for God’s work through her.

One further endorsement of the book came Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P., who is the Global Promoter of the rosary for the Dominican Order wrote: “As someone who learned gradually to befriend and love the Blessed Mother, these stories resonated with my own experience. Mary is truly our patient mother. I once claimed I did not need Mary, but she still quietly revealed herself to me in providential and miraculous ways. This journey led me closer to Christ because Mary always leads us closer to Christ. May these stories deepen your appreciation for Our Lady’s maternal role in your life.”

Who would not want to know better the woman who raised Jesus, the woman whose total openness to the Holy Spirit makes her the New Eve, the woman who shows that in renouncing our self-will to do the Father’s will, we can be the most generative and creative beings, changing the world from the inside out?

I encourage you to order your copy today. My hope is this book will spark conversations about forgiveness, patience, sacred art, music, and the great mysteries of the faith. I want you, the readers of this post, to know Mary if you don’t already. If you already know her, I want you to know her better every day. If you open your heart to her, Mary will help you grow in faith in God in ways that will surprise you and delight you.