Ford-Grabowsky, Mary 1947(?)–

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Ford-Grabowsky, Mary 1947(?)–

PERSONAL: Born c. 1947. Education: Princeton Theological Seminary, M.Div., Ph.D.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—P.O. Box 21267, Oakland, CA 94620-1267.

CAREER: Writer, editor, translator, and educator. Regis College, professor in religious studies department; University of Creation Spirituality, Oakland, CA, began as vice president and academic dean, 1995, became member of adjunct faculty and member of board of directors.

AWARDS, HONORS: Award for distinguished service in interfaith work, World Council of Churches, ecumenical branch.

WRITINGS:

Prayers for All People, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1995.

(Author of introductions to selections) Sacred Poems and Prayers of Love, selected by Mary Ford-Grabowsky, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1998.

Sacred Voices: Essential Women's Wisdom through the Ages (anthology), HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 2002.

WomanPrayers: Prayers by Women throughout History and around the World, HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 2003.

(Author of annotations) Spiritual Writings on Mary: Annotated and Explained, foreword by Andrew Harvey, SkyLight Paths Publishing (Woodstock, VT), 2005.

Stations of the Light: Renewing the Ancient Christian Practice of the Via Lucis as a Spiritual Tool for Today, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of essays and scholarly articles. Editor of Fellowship in Prayer, Princeton Theological Seminary.

SIDELIGHTS: Writer, editor, and educator Mary Ford-Grabowsky focuses on areas related to world religions, prayer, and mystical traditions. As a translator, she specializes in collecting and translating prayers from all over the world. She is a member of the adjunct faculty and board of directors of the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California.

To Ford-Grabowsky, much modern religious instruction is incomplete because it does not take into account the wisdom and contribution of women through the centuries. "There's just no effort to preserve or even publish women's writings," she remarked on the San Francisco Faith Web site. For example, evidence indicates that the famed St. Francis of Assisi was married, but little material exists that mentions or includes any writings of his wife, St. Clare of Assisi.

A number of Ford-Grabowsky's works seek to address this imbalance. Spiritual Writings on Mary: Annotated and Explained includes a diverse selection of poems, prayers, and stories about the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, annotated and discussed by Ford-Grabowsky. The book provides numerous "thought-provoking and beautiful selections," noted Graham Christian in Library Journal. Sacred Voices: Essential Women's Wisdom through the Ages provides an anthology of writings by more than 150 women. Writers and thinkers represented include Rabia Al-Adawiyya, a Sufi poet; ancient Egyptian Queen Hashepsowe; abolitionist and women's rights advocate Sojourner Truth; athlete Jackie Joyner Kersee; environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill; poet Emily Dickinson; and novelist Louise Erdrich. The book "maps the entire shimmering continuum of women's spirituality," and the selections are "eloquent, moving, and often stunning," commented Donna Seaman in Booklist. This "rich anthology of spiritual writing by women" is "distinguished by its dizzying breadth," observed a Publishers Weekly contributor. The book should provide an "interesting introduction to many writers," Christian noted in another Library Journal review.

Stations of the Light: Renewing the Ancient Christian Practice of the Via Lucis as a Spiritual Tool for Today is a "courageous book," wrote Christian in a Library Journal review. In the volume, Ford-Grabowsky offers a new interpretation of the well-known fourteen Stations of the Cross, which trace the events leading to Jesus's crucifixion and entombment. The version offered by Ford-Grabowsky follows the progress of Jesus's journey after his bodily death, placing considerable focus on the spiritual aspects of Christ's ascension and appearance to his disciples. Ford-Grabowsky provides detailed guidance for each station and offers "a substantive introductory explanation," Christian noted.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2002, Donna Seaman, review of Sacred Voices: Essential Women's Wisdom through the Ages, p. 1085.

Library Journal, March 1, 2002, Graham Christian, review of Sacred Voices, p. 110; March 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of Stations of the Light: Renewing the Ancient Christian Practice of the Via Lucis as a Spiritual Tool for Today, p. 92; July 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of Spiritual Writings on Mary: Annotated and Explained, p. 88.

Publishers Weekly, January 14, 2002, review of Sacred Voices, p. 54.