Christian Year

MOTHERING SUNDAY

Mothering Sunday is also called “Mid-Lent Sunday” as it is the fourth Sunday in Lent and so comes half-way through that period.

It is often referred to as “Mother’s Day” and mothers certainly do need to be valued highly and celebrated. However, it seems that the name originally referred to the “Mother Church”. Long ago, young people in rural areas were often sent to work in large country houses and estates. In the middle of Lent, they were allowed to go to visit their families. They would attend their Mother Church, that is the church in which they were brought up.