abird that catholicism has such a strong female character at the center of the faith which we don't, but sometimes d you not find it uncomfortable that her main (only?) role is as a childbearer? Sorry, really don't want to offend you (or her!) but just interested in your views as a Catholic.
Im non practising and have been for a long time, but I was brought up in a staunchly Catholic background, these are just my views.
Re her role only being a child bearer, that is central, its a very matriarchial view, that the "mother" is all important, I'll talk about my grandmother, rather than the Virgin Mary, because I find it easier to explain.
My grandmother would be an anethma to todays feminists (I think), she fulfilled a very much traditional role, she cooked, cleaned, did all the house work, raised the children, my grand father never did housework, he was the "bread winner", but my grandmothers role, was seen as the most important thing. being "mum" did not belittle her role, it was the most important role.
She was (is) the centre point of our family, the person whose views held most sway, to whom everyone turned. To say Mary was "only the child bearer" is to demean the role of the mother, God didn't just pick anyone to bear a child, he picked Mary because she was strong, good, pure.
She is the "mother", not just of Jesus but of the whole Catholic Church, it may have been hijacked to patriarchy (for want of a better term), but the Catholic Church owes its very existance to a woman.
The village my mother and my grandmother are from is full of icons to the Virgin Mary.
I went to an all girls convent school, we were taught we could be anything, do anything, go anywhere, no limits were put on out education, no doubts about our abilities were cast. It was assumed we could go into any career we wanted, attend any university, achieve any heights. The nuns, were in their own way, seen as strong and powerful women.