They're wearing "Mary Is My Homegirl" T-shirts and bracelets, and not all of them are Roman Catholic.
Once mainly a devotional figure for Catholics, Mary and her role as a woman of God now are studied by Anglicans and other Christian denominations. "Mary is my friend ... for me, she's the ultimate example of a woman who said yes to God," said Betsy Biega, parish administrator at St. Martin's in the Fields Episcopal Church off Clemson Avenue in Columbia, S.C.
In May, leaders of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches released a study that encouraged members of both churches to regard Mary as a figure of devotion, even though there remains some theological disagreement about aspects of Mary and her role in the church. . .
Some Protestant churches, especially Episcopal and United Methodist, in recent years have offered Bible studies and classes that focus on the Virgin Mary as a model for Christian women.
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