Although May is traditionally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the universal liturgical calendar contains relatively few Marian celebrations during this month. Among them stands out one of the most recent additions to the Roman calendar: the obligatory memorial of Mary Mother of the Church, instituted by Pope Francis in 2018 and celebrated each year on the Monday after Pentecost.
This feast is still quite unknown to many of the faithful and parishes, partly because of its recent creation and also because it falls immediately after one of the great solemnities of the liturgical year.
A liturgical memorial established by Francis
The celebration of Mary Mother of the Church was officially incorporated into the universal liturgical calendar by a decree promulgated by the Vatican on February 11, 2018, a date that coincided with the 160th anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes.
The decision was made personally by Pope Francis, who wished to strengthen the Marian dimension of the Church’s life and recall the singular place of the Virgin in the birth of the Christian community.
Since then, the memorial has been fixed for the Monday after Pentecost and has become an obligatory celebration throughout the Roman rite.
Mary in the Upper Room with the Apostles
The placement of this feast immediately after Pentecost is not accidental. Christian tradition has always deeply linked the Virgin Mary with the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.
The Acts of the Apostles describes how the disciples remained united in prayer with the Mother of Jesus while awaiting the arrival of the Holy Spirit:
“All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14).
For this reason, many classical depictions of Pentecost show the Virgin at the center of the Upper Room, surrounded by the apostles and receiving the tongues of fire with them.
The Church thus contemplates Mary not only as the Mother of Christ, but also as the Mother of the nascent Church, spiritually present at the beginning of the evangelizing mission.
An ancient title recovered by the Second Vatican Council
Although the liturgical memorial is recent, the title “Mother of the Church” is not new. Christian tradition used it for centuries and it was solemnly reaffirmed by Saint Paul VI during the Second Vatican Council.
On November 21, 1964, at the close of the third conciliar session, Paul VI officially proclaimed Mary as “Mother of the Church,” that is, mother of the entire Christian people, both the faithful and the pastors.
Francis took up that teaching and wished to give it a more visible presence within the universal liturgy through this obligatory memorial.
More than a sentimental devotion
In the 2018 decree, the Holy See explained that this celebration aims to help the faithful understand that Christian life must be “anchored to the mystery of the Cross, to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and to the Virgin who offers herself, Mother of the Redeemer and of the redeemed.”
The Vatican’s intention was to prevent Marian devotion from being reduced to a superficial sentimentalism detached from the center of the Christian faith.
According to the same document, this memorial also seeks to foster “the maternal sense of the Church” among priests, religious, and laity, while promoting an authentic Marian piety.
A celebration still little known
Despite having been officially part of the universal liturgical calendar for eight years, the memorial of Mary Mother of the Church continues to pass relatively unnoticed in many parishes and Catholic communities.
Nevertheless, the celebration summarizes an idea deeply rooted in Christian tradition: that the Virgin spiritually accompanied the birth of the Church and continues to be a model of faith, prayer, and fidelity for all believers.