There is something about Mary, and it doesn’t involve Cameron Diaz.

Sally Cunneen, author of two books about the Virgin Mary, will be speaking at 8 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Cunneen said she was interested in the Virgin Mary because she had a lot of questions about her.

“It was not primarily to glorify Mary,” she said. “Realizing I never thought about her as an adult, I began to realize the strong and independent Jewish woman she is. It proved to be a more serious of a topic than I thought it would be.”

Cunneen said she “realized [Mary] had been one of the most interesting and influential people in the Bible. She began with art, then cultural expressions and now we look at patterns to put this together . it took me years to find this out.”

She said Mary has a way of connecting people, not dividing them.

Mary reflects and challenges many ideas people have about her, Cunneen said.

“Mary . is a voice-over of people who have been interpreting her,” she said. “Women have seen her as passive, and she is not this way.”

John Donaghy, director of campus ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 2210 Lincoln Way, had contacted Cunneen about the lecture, she said.

Donaghy, temporary assistant professor of philosophy and religious studies, said he’s excited to have such a recognizable person on campus.

“We chose her to speak on Mary because of her interesting and understandable book,” he said.

Cunneen is author of “In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol” and “Mother Church: what the experience of women is teaching her.” She is also co-founder of “CrossCurrents,” magazine, a network for people of faith and intelligence who are committed to connecting wisdom of the heart and life of the mind.

Sara Brenner, outreach peer minister at St. Thomas Aquinas, said she agrees many students are curious about the Virgin Mary.

“I do feel there’s an interest in knowing more about Mary,” she said. “And I do think that interest has been expressed about Catholic students’ stance about Mary.”

Mary is also questioned by other Protestant faiths, said Brenner, senior in genetics.

“Catholic students today are asked about our faith, and the topic of Mary comes up a lot, mostly because she is an icon in our faith,” she said.

Cunneen hopes to answer many of ISU students’ questions.

“I hope that it will be of some interest to students,” she said. “Younger people were not brought up with . the understanding of Mary. I also hope questions are brought up if not answered in the lecture.”