Once 14th February has passed, the shops begin promoting Mother’s Day, which this year falls on Sunday, 22nd March.

Nowadays it is traditionally a day on which to give your mother flowers but strangely enough Mothering Sunday did not begin as a celebration of motherhood at all, but as a return to the “Mother church”!

Early Christians considered it important to return to their 'mother' church once a year as a witness of their faith.  This church was either where they were baptized or their local cathedral. When the vast majority of people lived their whole lives in the same diocese this was pretty straightforward, but with the increase of trade and urbanisation following the middle ages people traveled and worked further from home, and worshipped at their nearest church, often calling it their “daughter” church.

By 16th Century, in the spirit of renaissance and reformation, this practice was formalised so that the Church required people to return to their mother church or cathedral on the fourth Sunday in Lent.  Why the Fourth Sunday in Lent?  Probably because the Bible reading for that day refers to the church as being “mother of us all” (NT Galatians 4:21-31).

It was also a convenient time to go home. Winter was at an end. People needed something to lighten the seriousness of Lent.  The return to the 'mother' church could also become an occasion to see friends and family.  So began the tradition of children, particularly young girls working as domestic servants, or boys as apprentices, being given this day off to visit their mother and family.

These children brought gifts, flowers and special cakes for their mothers.  In time the fasting rules for Lent were relaxed for that day.  Thus a holy day meant for the return to Mother Church became a time for family reunions and so became a holiday to include all mothers named as Mothering Sunday.

To this day, St. Mary’s continues the tradition of blessing flowers at the alter during the Mothering Sunday service, which the children (of all ages) take home to their mothers.

This article is written to publicise the Friends of St. Mary’s and St. James, a registered charity dedicated to maintaining the fabric of the two churches in our parish.  If you would like to learn more about the work of “the Friends” contact Gillian Cole (tel: 301259) or pick up a leaflet from the table in St Mary’s.