Dear Brothers and Sisters and Friends All,
In the yearly calendar, there are a number of days that certainly have religious or Faith connections at some level. One of these is the upcoming celebration of Mother’s Day.
This became clear to me again, when I was able to be with the Rosary Academy family recently for the annual “May Crowning” and Mass to open this month that has been traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Mother. I grew up with May Crownings and May Altars with the flowers of the Midwest: Lilacs, Spirea or “Bride’s Wreath” and Iris, and the singing of “Bring Flowers of the Fairest.” May Altars certainly point us to Mary, the Mother of God and our own mothers.
BISHOP KEVIN VANN IS PICTURED WITH HIS MOTHER, THERESA VANN, AT THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PRIESTLY ORDINATION CELEBRATED ON MAY 30, 2006. PHOTO COURTESY OF BISHOP VANN
We all can recall many memories of Mother’s Day. My brothers and I certainly do this a lot, especially in the month of Mary! One of mine is that Mom (because we always celebrated Mother’s Day and my birthday together) always would recount how worried she would be that she would not be a mother by Mother’s Day in 1951. But I made it by about an hour!
When my mother passed away in June of 2012 (shortly before I was assigned here) Cardinal Francis E. George, then-Archbishop of Chicago, called me personally to express his support and condolences and reflected that no woman knows a priest as well as his mother. That was certainly true in my case.
I have written and spoken about Mom to many of you, especially about her love and concern for mothers and babies, as a maternity nurse at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois.
However, I thank the Lord every day for her teaching me about the importance and priority of relationships. Relationships for her were always rooted in her Catholic Faith. She maintained so many of those relationships all of her life. Some of her friends still contact me! And, another part of life, rooted in her Catholic Faith, was to be a voice and an advocate for the helpless and indigent. She worked constantly to make sure that her mother, my grandmother Jones, got fair and caring treatment in a nursing home in Springfield, Illinois. This nursing home was not known for its care and attention to its residents. However, Mom, on more than one occasion championed the care and rights of those residents who had no one…! She was absolutely unafraid to advocate for those who had no one to care for them. I remember this so clearly. In addition to the value of relationships, I learned from my mother how to speak up for just care and equitable treatment for those who are in hospital and care facilities.
I will remember all of our mothers in these coming days and know that those memories will be a source of blessing to us all.
—Kevin W. Vann