Mary, Mother of the Church

Most Blessed Mother, we honor you today as the Mother of the Church. After celebrating the birthday of the church yesterday, we salute you today as the one who gave us Jesus and the community of churches spread around the world. As you gave birth to Your Divine Son, you also created the Body of Christ, the church and all of us. We thank you for protecting us, guarding us against evil, and supporting our efforts to stay close to you and Your Son. This year, in particular, we pray in respect for the churches dedicated to you, especially after one of the most historic cathedrals, Notre Dame de Paris, was engulfed in flames. We pray that it will be rebuilt to its former glory and beauty. We ask for your maternal protection on all the other churches dedicated to you, from St Mary Major in Rome to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, from the Milan Cathedral to the Sanctuary at Ta Pinu in Gozo/Malta, and so many others. We ask you in a special way to keep us all united together, as a community of Christians who pray in your sanctuaries and shrines. As a loving mother, keep nurturing us with your care and love, nursing us when in trouble and nourishing us with Your Son’s blessing.