Like most of its sister dioceses, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester made a social media post in honor of mothers on Sunday.

“Happy Mother's Day!” the diocese posted on Facebook this week. “Today we pray for and honor all women who serve the world as mothers!”

Mother’s Day is a secular holiday, but it’s one that Catholics appreciate the sentiment of, Fr. Jim Hinkle of St. Theresa Parish said in a release. The Catholic Church’s devotion to Mary, Mother of God, can and should apply to all mothers. Throughout the year, the Church celebrates Mary on various holidays, including the Solemnities of Mary, Mother of God; the Assumption; and the Immaculate Conception. Such celebrations of Mary are, in a way, celebrations of all mothers.

Popes have underscored the Church’s appreciation of women too. Several years ago, Pope St. John Paul II wrote a treatise 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).”

This year, Pope Francis sent a tweet about their role.

"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.”