Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday is a day honouring mother churches, the church where one is baptised and becomes "a child of the church", celebrated since the Middle Ages in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries on the fourth Sunday in Lent. On Mothering Sunday, Christians have historically visited their mother church—the church in which they received the sacrament of baptism.
| Mothering Sunday | |
|---|---|
| Observances | Visiting the local mother church or the church in which one was baptized; honouring one's mother |
| Date | 4th Sunday in Lent |
| 2023 date | 19 March |
| 2024 date | 10 March |
| 2025 date | 30 March |
| 2026 date | 15 March |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Laetare Sunday, Lent |
Constance Adelaide Smith revived its modern observance beginning in 1913 to honour Mother Church, 'mothers of earthly homes', the Virgin Mary (mother of Jesus), and Mother Nature. It gained popularity in response to the originally American Mother's Day. The holiday is often known as "Mother's Day" in the United Kingdom, and has become a secular celebration of mothers and motherhood.