This has been a very tough year for mothers everywhere, regardless of class or race, in traditional or non-traditional family settings. It’s been a year in which regular routines, schedules and reliable “go-to” solutions simply disappeared. When stay-at-home orders were imposed in March last year, COVID-19 was already raging in our home, and would eventually ravage many homes in our neighborhood and city. Mothers everywhere needed to be on high alert; and that has been exhausting beyond belief for many.

So, to all moms, mamas and mommies, thank you for all you have done, and are doing, to get your families through this period of quarantine. Has everything gone perfectly? Probably not. Has there been a ton of nurturing, comforting, uplifting and simply coping with the ups and downs of confinement, working from home, home schooling and personal isolation? Absolutely, without a doubt.

In last Sunday’s sermon, I spoke about the birth and springtime of the Church as “an experiment in love.” I dare say, this past year, mothers everywhere have offered unconditional love in the name of God, in the face of daily stresses and at great personal expense, as such an experiment in love.

So, thank you, from this parish priest and father, for your strength and sacrifice,

Gareth