Pope decrees Mary ‘Mother of Church’

Day of devotion added to Catholic calendar



BLESSED VIRGIN—Pope Frances added a new day of devotion to the Virgin Mary on the Roman Catholic Calendar. The day after Pentecost— May 21 this year—will be celebrated as Mary, Mother of the Church.

BLESSED VIRGIN—Pope Frances added a new day of devotion to the Virgin Mary on the Roman Catholic Calendar. The day after Pentecost— May 21 this year—will be celebrated as Mary, Mother of the Church.

Catholics around the world on Monday will begin observing a new memorial day devoted to the Virgin Mary.

As decreed by Pope Francis, the liturgical celebration honoring the mother of Jesus Christ will be held annually on the day after Pentecost. This year, it falls on Mon., May 21.

In Catholic tradition, Mary has been honored since ancient times, but Pope Francis’ decree orders that “the ancient devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Mother of the Church, be inserted into the Roman Calendar,” according to the Vatican’s press office.

Archbishop Jose Gomez of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which includes Ventura County, called on Catholics to “live this historical new memorial through prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist (Holy Communion).

“That’s why I want to invite all of you to join me in celebrating it at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on May 21,” Gomez wrote in an email to archdiocese members. “I will be celebrating Mass at (noon) and I hope to see all of you there!”

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is at 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.

A second way Catholics can honor Mary on her special day is “by all of us having an image of Mary in every home,” Gomez wrote.

“To make that a reality, I will be personally blessing and offering an image of our Blessed Mother for every family in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who wants one.”

Information about how to obtain the image can be found at marian.angelusnews.com.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, told the Vatican News that the pope’s decision took account of the church’s tradition surrounding the devotion to Mary as mother of the church.

The decree says St. Augustine and Pope St. Leo the Great both reflected on the Virgin Mary’s importance in the mystery of Christ.

“(St. Augustine) says that Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church, while (St. Leo the Great) says that the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body, thus indicating that Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church,” Sarah said.

Pope Francis, Sarah continued, wants to promote this devotion in order to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.”