Une Minute avec Marie
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It was Blessed Pope Paul VI who decided to venerate the Virgin Mary under the title of "Mother of the Church" during the Second Vatican Council, on November 21, 1964, in his speech approving the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has officially integrated this title into the Catholic faith, rich in theological significance, even though it was not the result of a vote at the Council. The Catechism quotes this title in the commentary on the article of the Creed on the Church: "I believe in the holy Catholic Church." Following Lumen Gentium (in chapter 8) which situates the Virgin Mary in the mystery of Christ and the Church, the Catechism uses the expression "Mother of the Church" in the context of the life of the Savior and at the heart of the Church.
It should be remembered that a number of conciliar bishops had wanted a dedicated text on the Virgin Mary. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Council Fathers chose to present the Virgin Mary as part of the mystery of Christ and as an eminent member of the Church. The faith of the Church is rooted in the Bible. The Church's prayer also manifests God's plan of salvation for humanity: "Lex orandi, lex credendi" ("The law of prayer is the law of faith"). This is why it is appropriate to call upon the Church's liturgy to understand the mystery of the Virgin Mary.
At the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary became the Mother of the Son of God made man, who was to receive the name Jesus. The Annunciation represents not only the news of the Incarnation but also the beginning of the Church. The liturgy of this feast, called by some Church Fathers "the feast of the root" because it is hidden and foundational, expresses the mystery of the welcoming of the Son of God "through the faith of Mary" and her maternal tenderness towards the body of her Son Jesus (cf. Preface of the Mass), while the prayer over the offerings highlights the birth of the Church, the Body of Christ: “The Church does not forget that it began on the day when your Word became flesh.”
Since Mary is the Mother of Jesus, she is also the Mother of the Church. Being the Mother of the Head of the Body, she also remains the Mother of the rest of the Body, the members united to Christ by faith and baptism. In the same way that it is not possible to separate the Head from the Body, it is also not possible to separate Mary's divine motherhood from her spiritual motherhood of the Body of her Son Jesus, the Church.