On March 3rd, 2018, Pope Francis designated the day after Pentecost Sunday to be the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. For this year, it occurs today June 1st.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

John 19:26-27.

When Jesus told John “Behold, your mother”, He was not only announcing that she would be John’s mother, but the mother of the whole world. We are disciples of Jesus, we are the Church, and she is our mother.

Meaning of the Celebration

-Saint Luke tells us that Mary was with the Apostles on that Pentecost day when the Holy Spirit descended upon them and she was a witness of the early ministry of the Apostles.

-Pope Francis has observed that he wants to promote devotion to Mary, Mother of the Church, to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as growth of genuine Marian piety.”

-Inspired by the Second Vatican Council’s document Lumen Gentium, the title “Mother of the Church” was decreed by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1965.

https://aleteia.org/daily-prayer/monday-june-1/

Did the early Church honor Mary? Here’s a video showing quotes from prominent figures of the first four centuries of the Church that reveals the importance of our Mother: