ORIGIN OF THE FEAST Today is the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. In Roman Catholic Mariology, Mother of the Church (Latin: Mater Ecclesiae) is a title officially given to Mary by Pope Paul VI. The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan, as rediscovered by the great theologian Hugo Rahner. The title was also used by Pope Benedict XIV in 1748 and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. Pope John Paul II placed it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church; while Pope Francis added a feast by this title into the Roman calendar. In 2018, Pope Francis decreed that the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church be inserted into the Roman calendar on the Monday after Pentecost (also known as Whit Monday) and to be celebrated every year. The decree was signed on February 11, 2018, the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the 160th anniversary of the Lourdes apparitions. It was issued on March 3, 2018. THE ROLE OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER IN THE CHURCH ...