Masses, Jail Gathering Set to Celebrate Mother's Day

Mother's Day

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Mother's Day in Los Angeles County will include Archbishop Jose Gomez blessing mothers at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and the annual commemoration for inmates at the Century Regional Detention Facility.

Gomez will present carnations to all mothers as he celebrates the 10 a.m. English-language as will the cathedral's pastor, the Rev. David Gallardo, at the 8 a.m. English-language Mass and the 12:30 p.m. Spanish-language Mass.

“We should give thanks to God for our mothers every day for all their sacrifices and love,” Gomez said.

“For Catholics, motherhood is a vocation, a special calling from Jesus Christ. Mothers especially are our first teachers about prayer, charity and the practices of our Christian faith.”

What organizers call “a gathering to celebrate mothers and end jail expansion” in Los Angeles County will be held at the all-female Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood from 8 a.m.-noon.

The event includes mini “teach-ins” about the defeat of the proposed jail expansion, proposed changes to pretrial procedures and the effect of fines and fees on incarcerated women.

The gathering will also include an art space for children, acupuncture, wellness kits and a photographer to capture each family's experience, organizers said.

The event is organized by Californians United for a Responsible Budget, a statewide coalition of 70 grassroots organizations that seeks to reduce the number of people in prisons and jails, shrink the prison system and shift public spending from corrections and policing to human services.

At the Los Angeles Jewish Home in Reseda, hundreds of people will gather for the 25th annual “Largest Mother's Day Celebration in the World,” representing families of four and five generations: mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers, including 21 centenarian mothers.

The celebration will include brunch, entertainment and balloons.

A record $24.95 billion is forecast to be spent nationally in connection with Mother's Day, according to the National Retail Federation's Mother's Day consumer spending survey. The previous record was $23.55 billion in 2017.

Of the 7,321 adults polled, 86% said they planned on celebrating Mother's Day.

Adults celebrating Mother's Day are expected to spend an average of $196 on activities, gifts and cards, $16 more than last year.

Of those celebrating, 67% said they would buy flowers, 55% said they would treat mother to a brunch or dinner, 38% said they would buy clothing and 35% said they would buy jewelry.

The survey conducted April 1-11 by Prosper Insights & Analytics between has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.

In his Mother's Day proclamation, President Donald Trump wrote, “Even in our lowest moments, mothers see the best in their children. Through their guidance and unwavering love, they prepare us for the challenges of adulthood and provide us with the confidence we need to reach our full potential.

“They are some of the best examples of everyday heroes, and their consistent devotion to family and grace under pressure too often go overlooked. At any stage in life, we find comfort in knowing that we can call on our mothers and grandmothers or reflect on our wonderful memories of them to find wisdom and strength.”

Mother's Day was initially proposed in 1870 by activist-poet Julia Ward Howe as a call for peace and disarmament. It was celebrated in 18 cities in 1873, continued for about another 10 years in Boston under Howe's backing, then died out.

The second attempt to establish Mother's Day began on May 9, 1907, the second anniversary of the death of Anna Jarvis' mother Ann.

Jarvis invited several friends to her home in Philadelphia in commemoration of her mother's life, which included providing nursing care and promoting better sanitation during the Civil War, helping save lives on both sides.

Jarvis announced to her friends her idea of a day of national celebration in honor of mothers, which was first celebrated on May 10, 1908, at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Ann Jarvis worshipped.

The church is now known as the International Mother's Day Shrine.

West Virginia Gov. William E. Glasscock issued the first Mother's Day proclamation in 1910.

By 1911, it was celebrated in nearly every state. President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional joint resolution in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day nationally.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content