Mother of the Church is a title given to Mary in the Catholic Church, as officially declared by Pope Paul VI in 1964. The title first appeared in the 4th century writings of Saint Ambrose of Milan. Pope John Paul II placed it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Pope Francis inserted a memorial with the title “Mary, Mother of the Church” into the Roman Calendar, celebrated annually on the Monday after Pentecost. The scriptural warrant comes from the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke says that after the Ascension: All these [apostles] devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Just as Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, so when the Holy Spirit empowered the birth of Church in the upper room in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost Mary was at the heart of the community. It is for this reason that from the very beginning devotion to Mary has helped to shape and form the church into a closer following of Jesus.
MAY252026
By Church Staff
