Had a retreat a couple weekends ago. Father mentioned something I’d never considered. He said that even though it’s not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, it’s perfectly reasonable to believe that Mary followed Jesus in his ministry.
“Who else would have made sure he had clean clothes, enough food, checking to make sure there was a place to stay every night, except his mother?” He said we know for a fact that Mary looked after the people around Jesus, like the young wedding couple at Cana: “They have no wine.” He also said there’s no reason not to believe that it could very well have been Mary who was encouraging the parents to bring their children up to Jesus so that he could bless them.
I think your retreat priest is a a kook.