Mothers Day As Religious Holiday

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Cincinnati, OHIO (Saturday, May 10, 2003) - Mothers play an

important part in the world's religions, such as the Virgin Mary,

mother of Jesus; Yocheved, Moses' mother who puts him in an ark on

the Nile to save his life; and Khadijah, the Mother of Believers in

Islam.

 

In the Hindu tradition, a mother is a goddess, as is the case of both

Bharat Mata, or Mother India, and Dharti Mata, or Mother Earth.

 

"Our mothers teach us our family values, our American values, our

Hindu values," said Ran Gupta, a life member of the Hindu Society of

Greater Cincinnati.

 

Many local religious groups will observe the secular holiday of

Mother's Day. At the Hindu Temple, 4920 Klatte Road in Clermont

County, more than 100 children and their mothers are expected to

participate in the celebration.

 

Gupta's wife and mother of their two grown children, Manju, is

organizing the event as chairwoman of the children's committee. There

will also be a salute to all the mothers of men and women in the

military overseas.

 

Tonight, many will honor the Mother Goddess with a service from 9

p.m. to 1 a.m. The four-hour worship service is scheduled a couple of

times a month.

 

St. Peter in Chains Cathedral will honor Mother's Day with a concert

of Marian music, pieces that celebrate the life of the Virgin Mary.

The concert will feature "Ave Maria,Magnificat," and "Regina

Caeli" among others.

 

"Among Catholics, the month of May is dedicated to Mary, and we

thought we'd choose a program of music that honors her," said Anthony

DiCello, music director for the cathedral. "Much of the music refers

to Mary as the mother of Jesus, and in that context, I think a lot of

mothers can relate to that."

 

Source:

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/10/loc_faithmatters10.html