The Diocese of Phoenix celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday, giving appreciation to mothers and motherhood.

“We give thanks to God for the gift of motherhood as we wish all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!” the diocese said on Facebook. 

The Church has long recognized the importance of mothers and takes the secular holiday of Mother’s Day as an opportunity to shine the light on them.

"Today is Mother’s Day in many countries,” the pope tweeted on May 8. “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.” 

The Catholic Church shows its appreciation to mothers through its devotion to Mary, Mother of God; Fr. Jim Hinkle of St. Theresa Parish said in a release. The Church celebrates Mary on holidays — including the entire month of May, which is called the Month of Mary. The periodic celebrations of Mary can, in a way, be applied to all mothers. 

In the recent past, Pope St. John Paul II wrote an essay about mothers.

"Motherhood has been introduced into the order of the Covenant that God made with humanity in Jesus Christ,” he said in Mulieris Dignitatem, quoted by TomPerna.org. “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 (#19).”