Pope Francis decreesnew celebrationdedicated to VirginMary

Pope Francis has

officially declared a

feast day for

celebrating the Virgin

Mary as the "Mother of

the Church." It is the

latest feast day Francis

has instituted to honor

women in the church.

The Roman Catholic Church

now has an official day to

celebrate the Virgin Mary , the

Vatican announced on

Saturday.

Pope Francis decreed that the

feast day, which designates

Mary as the "Mother of the

Church," would be celebrated

on the Monday following

Pentecost. This year, the day

falls on May 21.

The decree stated that the

feast day is intended to

celebrate Mary not only as

the mother of Jesus, but also

as a fundamental figure in

the church.

Francis hoped the feast day

would "encourage the growth

of the maternal sense of the

church in the pastors,

religious and faithful, as well

as a growth of genuine

Marian piety."

The Catholic Church already

has a liturgical celebration

honoring Mary as the

"Mother of the Church" that

began in 1975. Individual

countries, dioceses and

religious orders have also

held Virgin Mary celebrations

for longer periods of time —

but Saturday's decree means

the celebration will now

apply to all of the Roman

Catholic Church.

It's the latest official

celebration that Francis has

decreed to honor women

involved in Jesus' life. In

2016, Francis declared the

feast of St. Mary Magdalene.