Holy Mary, Mother of the Church

June 6: Mother of the Church

OBLIGATORY MEMORIAL

From the address of Saint Paul VI, Pope, at the Closing of the Third Session of the Second Vatican Council (November 21, 1964: AAS 56 [1964], 1015-1016)

Considering the close relations by which Mary and the Church are joined, for the glory of the Most Blessed Virgin and for our consolation, we declare Most Holy Mary Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole Christian people, both of the faithful and of the Pastors, who call her beloved Mother. And we decree that, by this title, the whole Christian people should from now on give still greater honor to the Mother of God and address their supplications to her.

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Acts 1:14: (All these persevered with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:14)

The disciples persevered, united in prayer, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Collect

O God, Father of mercy,
whose Only Begotten Son, nailed to the Cross,
gave us His own Mother,
the holy Virgin Mary, as our Mother,
grant that the Church, sustained by her maternal love,
may exult in the number and the holiness of her children
and gather into one family all the peoples of the earth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who is God
and lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.

FIRST READING Gen 3:9-15, 20

“The mother of all the living”
A reading from the Book of Genesis
After Adam had eaten of the tree,
the Lord God called him and said to him: “Where are you?”
He answered:
“I heard the sound of your steps in the garden,
and, because I was naked, I was afraid and hid myself.”
God said:
“Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten of that tree of which I forbade you to eat?”
Adam answered:
“The woman whom you gave me as a companion
gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
The Lord God asked the woman:
“What have you done?”
And the woman answered:
“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Then the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done such a thing,
cursed are you among all the domestic animals
and all the wild beasts.
You shall crawl and eat the dust of the earth
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
between your offspring and her offspring.
It shall strike you on the head,
and you shall strike it on the heel.”
The man called his wife ‘Eve,’
because she was the mother of all the living.
The word of the Lord.

Instead of the preceding reading, the following may be used:

FIRST READING Acts 1:12-14

“They persevered, united in prayer, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus”
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
After Jesus had ascended into Heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem,
coming down from the mount called Olivet,
which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they reached the city, they went up to the upper room,
where they usually gathered.
There were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon the Zealot, and Judas the brother of James.
All these persevered, united in prayer,
in the company of some women,
among whom was Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 86 (87):1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7

Refrain: Great things are spoken of you, O city of God.

The Lord loves the city
founded by Him upon the holy mountains.
He loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Great things are spoken of you, O city of God.

And it shall be said in Zion: “All were born there,
the Most High Himself has established it.”
The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
“This one was born in Zion.”
And they will go dancing and singing:
“All my springs are in you.”

ALLELUIA

Refrain: Alleluia.
O happy Virgin, who gave birth to the Lord. O admirable Mother of the Church,
who rekindle in us the Spirit of your Son, Jesus Christ!

GOSPEL Jn 19:25-27

“Behold, your son… Behold, your Mother”

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John
At that time, standing by the cross of Jesus were
his Mother, his Mother’s sister,
Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Seeing his Mother and the beloved disciple,
Jesus said to his Mother: “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple: “Behold, your Mother.”
And from that hour
the disciple took her into his home.
The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, our offerings
and transform them into a sacrament of salvation,
by which we may entrust ourselves more fervently
to the love of the holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
and cooperate more diligently in the work of redemption.
Through Christ our Lord.

Preface: Mary, Image and Mother of the Church
V. The Lord be with you.
R. He is in our midst.
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. Our hearts are in God.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is our duty, it is our salvation.

Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
it is truly our duty, it is our salvation
to give you thanks, always and everywhere,
and to extol your infinite goodness
as we celebrate the memorial of the holy Virgin Mary.
Receiving your Word in her Immaculate Heart,
she merited to conceive Him in her virginal womb
and, by giving birth to the Creator of the universe,
prepared the birth of the Church.
Standing by the Cross, she accepted the testament of divine charity
and received all men as her children,
begotten to eternal life by the death of Christ.
While she awaited, with the Apostles, the coming of the Holy Spirit,
joining in the prayers of the disciples,
she became an admirable model of the Church at prayer.
Raised up to the glory of heaven,
she assists with maternal love the Church, still a pilgrim on earth,
mercifully protecting her steps
on the way to the heavenly homeland,
as she awaits the glorious coming of the Lord.
Therefore, with the Angels and the Saints,
we proclaim your glory, saying (singing) with one voice:
Holy, Holy, Holy.

Communion Antiphon Cf. Jn 2:1, 11
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the Mother of Jesus was there.
There the Lord began His miracles,
manifested His glory, and the disciples believed in Him.

Or: Cf. Jn 19:26-27
Hanging on the Cross, Jesus said to the disciple: Behold, your Mother.

Prayer after Communion
O Lord, who in this admirable sacrament
have given us the pledge of redemption and of life,
grant that your Church,
with the maternal help of the holy Virgin Mary,
may bring the proclamation of the Gospel to all peoples
and renew the face of the earth with the gifts of your Spirit.
Through Christ our Lord.

The formula for the Solemn Blessing may be used.