*** *** *** Celebrated on the Monday following Pentecost, this Feast was established in 2018 by Pope Francis on the 160th anniversary of the Lourdes apparition.

~ Saint John Paul II: “Mary is present in the Church as the Mother of Christ… Thanks to this special bond linking the Mother of Christ with the Church, there is further clarified the mystery of that ‘woman’ who, from the first chapters of the Book of Genesis until the Book of Revelation, accompanies the revelation of God’s salvific plan for humanity. For Mary, present in the Church as the Mother of the Redeemer, takes part, as a mother, in that monumental struggle; against the powers of darkness which continues throughout human history. …Hence, as Christians raise their eyes with faith to Mary in the course of their earthly pilgrimage, they ‘strive to increase in holiness.’ Mary, the exalted Daughter of Sion, helps all her children, wherever they may be and whatever their condition, to find in Christ the path to the Father’s house.” (REDEMPTORIS MATER)