The Diocese of Allentown asked for the Blessed Mary’s intercession on behalf of all mothers on Sunday.

“On this Mother's Day, we give thanks for all living and deceased mothers,” the diocese posted on Facebook. “May Mary, our Blessed Mother, continue to guide and strengthen all mothers on earth, and all who are like mothers to us, and one day welcome them into Heaven. Happy Mother's Day!”

Mother's Day is a secular holiday, but the Catholic Church uses its devotion to Mary, Mother of God, to extend to all mothers, according to Fr. Jim Hinkle of St. Theresa Parish. The Church celebrates Mary on various holidays throughout the year, such as the Solemnities of Mary, Mother of God, the Assumption, and the Immaculate Conception. These celebrations of Mary are, in a way, celebrations of all mothers, he said. 

Pope Francis underscored the importance of honoring mothers.

"Today is Mother’s Day in many countries,” the pope tweeted. “Let us affectionately remember our mothers, even those who are no longer with us down here, but who live in our hearts. Our prayer, our affection, and our best wishes for all our mothers.”

In the past, St. Pope John Paul II wrote about mothers and the important role they play in society and religion.

"Motherhood has been introduced into the order of the Covenant that God made with humanity in Jesus Christ,” he wrote. “Each and every time that motherhood is repeated in human history, it is always related to the Covenant which God established with the human race through the motherhood of the Mother of God.”