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Mother church

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Holy Mother Church" redirects here. For the Catholic Church, seeCatholic Church.
Not to be confused withSister church.
Mother church architecturally represented in amosaicof a fifth-century chapel floor (tombmarker/cover of a certain Valentia with the added invocation to rest in peace:Valentia in Pace). Bardo Museum,Tunis.

Mother churchormatriceis a term depicting theChristian Churchas amotherin her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer.[1]It may also refer to the primary church of aChristian denominationor (arch)diocese,i.e. acathedralchurch.[2]For a particular individual, one's mother church is the church in which one received thesacramentofbaptism.[3][4]The term has specific meanings within different Christian traditions. Catholics refer to theCatholic Churchas "Holy Mother Church".

Church as an organization[edit]

Turku Cathedral,the Mother Church of theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

Primatial local churches[edit]

The "first see", orprimatial see,of a regional or national church is sometimes referred to as the mother church of that nation. For example, the local Church of Armagh is the primatial see of Ireland, because it was the first established local church in that country. Similarly, Rome is the primatial see of Italy, and Baltimore of the United States, and so on.

The first local church in all of Christianity is that ofJerusalem,the site of the Passion of the Christ and ofPentecost,making it the Mother Church of all Christianity.[5][6]

Catholic Church[edit]

This term is most often used amongCatholicsasHoly Mother Church.[7]The Church is considered to be a mother to her members because she is theBride of Christ,[8]and all because the Church is considered the mother of believers just as God is called the Father of believers. Another term used in theCatechismis the title "Mater et Magistra"(Mother and Teacher).[9]Pope John XXIIImade this the title of hisencyclicalcelebrating the seventieth year afterLeo XIII'sgroundbreaking social encyclical,explaining that in thisMother and Teacherall nations "should find... their own completeness in a higher order of living."[10]Pope Francissaid:[11]

The Church is our mother. She is our "Holy Mother Church" that is generated through our baptism, makes us grow up in her community and has that motherly attitude, of meekness and goodness: Our Mother Mary and our Mother Church know how to caress their children and show tenderness. To think of the Church without that motherly feeling is to think of a rigid association, an association without human warmth, an orphan.[11]

Anglican Communion[edit]

InAnglicanism,theChurch of Englandgave rise to all the other Churches in theAnglican Communion,and as such she is considered the Mother Church.[12]TheArchbishop of Canterburythus serves as the focus of unity within the Anglican Communion.[13]

Methodist Church[edit]

InMethodism,theMethodist Church of Great Britainis considered the Mother Church by all the other Methodist Churches in theWorld Methodist Council,withMethodist Central Halloften being a symbol of this tradition.[14][15]This is because the Methodist Church of Great Britain "gave birth to the whole Methodist enterprise and then of a nineteenth-century church whose influence reached out across the world through the missionary endeavors of the various British Connexions within and beyond the British Empire."[14]

Apostolic Sees orEcclesia matrix[edit]

Apostolic seesare those local churches founded by one of theTwelve ApostlesorPaul the Apostle.In 1855 Bingham wrote: "Ecclesiamatrix,amother-church,is sometimes taken for an original church planted immediately by theApostles,whence others were derived and propagated afterward....And in this sense the Church of Jerusalem is called 'the mother-church of all churches in the world.' "

He also refers to "Arlesthe mother church of France, supposedly planted by the Apostle's missionaryTrophimus,first bishop of the place. "[16]

Church as a building[edit]

Place of baptism[edit]

On Mothering Sunday, people historically have visited the church in which they were baptized.[3][4]

For a particular individual, one's mother church is the church at which one received the Christiansacramentofbaptism(christening).[3][4]In the British Isles,Mothering Sundayis the traditional day in which one visits one’s mother church.[3][4]

Church of the Resurrection[edit]

The Aedicule, before its restoration, encloses the tomb of Jesus, in theChurch of the Holy Sepulchrein Jerusalem

The Mother Church of Christianity is theChurch of the Holy SepulchreinJerusalem,the traditional site of the most important events in the religion. Within are the holiest spots of Christianity, chiefly, theplaceof Jesus'crucifixion,death,burial,andresurrection.

Cathedral[edit]

"Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head" ( "Sacros[ancta] Lateran[ensis] eccles[ia] omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput"). Inscription on the façade of theArchbasilica of Saint John Lateranin Rome.

"Mother church" may also be a title of distinction based on a church's hierarchical importance. The church of the (arch)bishopof anepiscopal seeis often considered the mother church of the (arch)diocese.Holy Name CathedralinChicago, Illinois,falls under this category. While it was not the first Roman Catholic cathedral of the city, it became the mother church due to the presence of the episcopalcathedra.This form of distinction based on hierarchical importance is usually used by theRoman Catholic Church,and, sometimes, the churches of theLutheran World FederationandAnglican Communion,[17]while otherProtestantdenominations tend to refrain from using the title in this manner.

Thepope's cathedral, the PapalArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran,is calledSacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput( "Most Holy Lateran Church, Mother and Head of all the churches in the city and the world" ).[18]

Canterbury Cathedral, mother church of the Anglican Communion

Canterbury Cathedral,seat of theArchbishop of Canterbury,describes itself as the "Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion".[19]

First mission church[edit]

The first church built in a mission area is sometimes called the mother church. For example, theCathedral of Our Lady of PeaceinHonolulu, Hawaii,was the site of the firstFrenchCatholicmission of theCongregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,from which the modernHawaii Catholic Churchwas established. Under these circumstances it is today considered the mother church of all Hawaii.[20]Similarly, theMission San Carlos BorromeoinCarmel, California,is considered the mother church ofCalifornia,as it historically served as the headquarters of theCalifornia mission system.

Principal church of a religious institute[edit]

The term may also relate to the churches of the variousreligious institutes,royal orders, or civic orders. For example,Madonna Della Strada Chapelbecame the mother church of the Province of Chicago of theSociety of Jesus,as the principal church of theJesuitsin its particular province includingIllinois,Indiana,Kentucky,andOhio.[21]On a broader scale, theChiesa del GesùinRomeis the mother church of allJesuitsthroughout the world as it is the church of the Society's Superior General.[18]

Plantation churches[edit]

Another form of the phrase is mainly used in Protestant churches. A mother church is one from which other "daughter churches" were planted nearby.[22]

Historically significant churches[edit]

The Greater Refuge Temple in Harlem, New York City, the mother church of the PentecostalChurch of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

The oldest churches of various religious communities are often considered the mother churches to others that follow either in that same tradition or, alternatively, in a reformist tradition. A church's hierarchical importance is often derived from its historical importance in its organization. In addition, in communities where churches may change their ecclesiastical association or become independent (particularly inPentecostal,charismatic,andnondenominationalchurches in America), a mother church may have daughter churches in one or more organizations.

The mother church inChristian ScienceisThe First Church of Christ, ScientistinBoston,theChurch of Christ Scientist,of which all others are branches. Per theManual of The Mother Church,the legal title of the mother church is "The First Church of Christ, Scientist," and while its branch churches may call themselves First Church of Christ, Scientist, or Second Church of Christ, Scientist, etc., they are prohibited from using "The" in front of their names. Only The Mother Church can do so.[23]

Greater Refuge Temple Church inNew York Cityis the mother church of theChurch of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith,an ApostolicPentecostaldenomination. As such, it is also ultimately the mother church of its various offshoot churches and organizations, including bothBible Wayorganizations and theChurch of the Lord Jesus Christand its daughter churches. In addition, churches that were independently founded by ministers who were ordained or directly influenced by the church's founder, Robert C. Lawson, or his spiritual successor, William L. Bonner, may also look to Greater Refuge Temple as their mother church, including the Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Evangelistic Church of Christ, and many others.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^"mother church – definition of mother church in English | Oxford Dictionaries".Oxford Dictionaries | English.Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2016.Retrieved2017-07-17.
  2. ^"Catholic Church: Glossary of Roman Catholic terms".BBC News.2013-03-29.Retrieved2017-07-17.
  3. ^abcdDiller, Harriett (1990).Celebrations That Matter: A Year-Round Guide to Making Holidays Meaningful.Augsburg. p. 35.ISBN978-0-8066-2498-3.In England, Mothering Sunday is a day to honor both your mother church and your own mother. In the past, young people working away from home visited their mothers and the churches where they were baptized on Mothering Sunday.
  4. ^abcdPearson, Sharon Ely; Szoke, Robyn (2009).The Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education, Third Edition.Church Publishing.p. 49.ISBN978-0-8192-2337-1.Mothering Sunday—In England children away from home at school or work were permitted to go home to visit their mothers and/or to visit their cathedral or mother church on this fourth Sunday of Lent. Today, many cathedrals and "mother" churches invite all who had been baptized there to return "home" to worship.
  5. ^Catholic Encyclopedia: Jerusalem (A.D. 71–1099):"During thefirst Christian centuriesthe church at this place was the centre of Christianity in Jerusalem, "Holy and glorious Sion, mother of all churches" (Intercession in "St. James' Liturgy",ed. Brightman, p. 54). Saint Mark of syriac orthodox church is also known as last supper church and believe first christian church."
  6. ^Van Houwelingen, P.H.R. (2012)."Jerusalem, The Mother Church: Development of the Apostolic Church from the Perspective of Jerusalem".S árospatakiFüzetek.2012(3–4): 11–32.
  7. ^"Catechism of the Catholic Church".vatican.va.Paragraphs 1163, 1667, 36.Retrieved2017-07-17.
  8. ^"Lumen gentium".vatican.va.Paragraphs 6,7,9,39.Retrieved2017-07-17.
  9. ^"Catechism of the Catholic Church".vatican.va.Paragraph 169.Retrieved2017-07-17.
  10. ^"Mater et Magistra (May 15, 1961) | John XXIII".w2.vatican.va.Paragraph 1.Retrieved2017-07-17.
  11. ^ab"Pope Francis: Church is a mother, not a rigid association".Retrieved2017-07-18.
  12. ^Juergensmeyer, Mark; Roof, Wade Clark (18 October 2011).Encyclopedia of Global Religion.SAGE Publications. p. 37.ISBN9781452266565.A reduced Church of England at home is, however, the mother church of an expanding Anglican Communion--that is, an international association of Anglican churches. The nature of this entity is important.
  13. ^O'Donovan, Oliver.Church in Crisis.Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 19.ISBN9781621898528.This is complicated by his special role within the Church of England, for the Anglican Communion is constructed on the historic relationship of its member churches to the English mother church, its senior primacy vested in the primate of all England.
  14. ^abYrigoyen, Charles Jr. (25 September 2014).T&T Clark Companion to Methodism.A&C Black. p. 73.ISBN9780567290779.British Methodism therefore holds an inescapable chronological priority in the history of world Methodism and it has also often been accorded a courteous priority of esteem, being regard still as the 'mother church' by Methodists from many parts of the globe. The story of the origins and development of Methodism in what is now the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, therefore, is the story, first, of an eighteenth-century movement which gave birth to the whole Methodist enterprise and then of a nineteenth-century church whose influence reached out across the world through the missionary endeavors of the various British Connexions within and beyond the British Empire.
  15. ^Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (21 September 2010).Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices.ABC-CLIO. p.1878.ISBN9781598842043.Then in 1855, the Methodist Church in Australia became independent of the mother church in Great Britain.
  16. ^Bingham, J.,The Antiquities of the Christian Church,University Press, 1855, p. 22-23.
  17. ^See e.g. Rogers, KJN.,A practical arrangement of ecclesiastical law,Saunders and Benning, 1840. p. 154.
  18. ^abRoma Sito Turistico Ufficiale -Christian RomeDipartimento Promozione del Turismo e della ModaAccessed 11 Apr 2012
  19. ^"Canterbury Cathedral – The Mother Church of The Worldwide Anglican Communion".Canterbury Cathedral.Retrieved29 October2019.
  20. ^"Cathedral Art and Architecture".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-11-21.Retrieved2012-04-11.
  21. ^HONORING THE BISHOPS OF SCRANTON, CHURCH AND THE JESUITS: THE CAMPUSThe University of ScrantonAccessed 11 April 2012.
  22. ^E.Raymond -SOME CONVICTIONS ABOUT CHURCH PLANTING AND THE MOTHER / DAUGHTER CHURCH RELATIONSHIPpublishedFebruary 17, 2011 byTGC The Gospel CoalitionAccessed 11 Apr 2012.
  23. ^Mary Baker Eddy Institute: The Manual of The Mother Church, by Mary Baker Eddy, Article XXIII, Titles. Section2, p. 25 online and p. 70 in book
  24. ^Christ Temple WORD Processing Ministry -History of C.O.O.L.J.C.Christ Temple of Clinton MarylandAccessed 11 Apr 2012.
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