“She is clearly the mother of his members, that is, of ourselves, because she co-operated by her charity so that faithful members of the Head might be born in the Church. As for the body, she is the mother of its Head . . . Mary gave birth to our Head; the Church gave birth to you. Indeed, the Church also is both virgin and mother, mother because of her womb of charity, virgin because of the integrity of her faith and piety.”

—St Augustine