Heh. Now I’ve got the last verse of “Dear Lord and father of mankind” running around in my head, thank you! 
Wow! I hadn’t heard that one before–very cool! Thanks!
Raised Catholic, but I don’t believe in perpetual virginity or immaculate conception.
The first I don’t believe because it smacks too much of the whole “matter is evil, and sex is eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil” school of thought.
The second makes even less sense. If Mary had to be immaculately concepted for Jesus to be sinless, what about Anna? Or Anna’s mother? Or Anna’s mother’s mother? So on and so on.
Mary obviously is worthy of great respect - she had the faith to put her life in danger, and to carry on after the Greatest Tragedy of All Time. But I’m not gonna put her on the same level as her Son. (Besides, praying to her always made me wonder if I was trying to get my requests answered “through the back door”.)