Blessed Virgin Mary Mary, Mother of the Church

Everyone has a mother. Yes, the mother who gave them birth in the physical order of life. But Christian believers have another mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the spiritual order of grace. Jesus willed to give Mary as a mother to the early Church, when, from the cross, he looked at his mother and said, “Woman, behold, your son” (John 19:26). And to the beloved disciple, “Behold, your mother” (John 19:27).

Throughout the centuries, Christians have called upon and honored Mary as their mother. People like St. John Paul II have asked Mary to be a mother in a very personal way, especially in times of grief. Another title emphasizing Mary’s motherhood has been used throughout the ages, dating back to St. Augustine and St. Leo the Great. St. Isaac of Stella (died 1169), a Cistercian monk, wrote about the inseparability of Mary and the Church.

And St. Paul VI declared Mary as Mother of the Church. Pope Francis in 2018 reinvigorated the title by proclaiming the Monday after Pentecost as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church. Through Scripture and tradition, we clearly see how Mary has been “Mother of the Church.”

The Synoptic Gospels provide an account in Jesus’ ministry when the mother of Jesus and his brothers and sisters approach the house where Jesus was teaching (Matthew 12:46–50, Mark 3:31–35, Luke 8:19–21). When word reaches Jesus that his mother is outside, he says, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it” (Luke 8:21).