M.O.M.

From my days as a first-grade student in St. Stanislaus School in Ambridge, there are a number of different lessons that I learned from my teacher, Sister Estelle. I have been thinking about Sister Estelle much these days as I was preparing several important talks and I remembered some of her lessons. Despite the fact that it is exactly 52 years ago since I had her as a teacher, I remember today so many of the lessons she taught my classmates and myself.

In an effort to remind us that we should never begin any task without seeking God’s help, as she taught us penmanship, she instructed us to place in the upper left-hand corner of our homework assignments as well as exam papers the initials “J.M.J.” as well as “A.M.D.G.” The “J.M.J.” reminded us of the importance of asking “Jesus, Mary and Joseph” to be our guides. The “A.M.D.G.” reminded us that we were to do everything “for the glory of God.”

During the month of May, moreover, she instructed us to add one more set of letters to the corner of our papers: “M.O.M.” The “acronym” stood for two things: “Month of Mary” and “Month of Mothers.”

Community procession

Sister clearly reminded us that we should place in our daily routines during the month of May some special prayer to Mary. Not only in the school community, but especially in the parish and particularly in my hometown of Ambridge (which in 1955, when I was a first-grader, claimed a population of some 13,000 residents), the month of May always began with an outdoor procession to honor Mary. Public streets, lined with literally hundreds of people, were closed to vehicular traffic so the procession would appropriately honor the Blessed Mother. Every student in the school was expected to be part of the procession. Each class carried a different banner. At the end of the procession was our pastor, Msgr. Labujewski, and an eighth-grade girl who was elected to be the May Queen.

The procession wound its way to the outdoor grotto at our parish church where there stood a life-size statute of Our Lady of Fatima. As the May Queen approached the statute to place a crown of flowers on the head of Mary, the hundreds gathered sang the traditional hymn: “Oh Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May ...” This special and public beginning to the month of May reminded us to continue the month of May to honor Mary in a much more private way in each of our lives. Although I long remember the May processions, I continue to cherish the opportunity to pay special attention to Mary not only in the month of May but each day.

“M.O.M.” was also Sister Estelle’s technique to help us not take our mothers for granted. She often spoke to us about how special each of our mothers was and why we should pay them particular respect and show them a special love. Back in 1955, she told us that someday our mothers would no longer be with us, that they would go to heaven, and that before that would happen we should take great care to cherish their presence in our lives. I never forgot that lesson either.

As I grew up and matured, I came to appreciate even more the lessons that Sister Estelle taught us by having us place the letters “M.O.M.” on the left-hand side of our classroom work. I came to appreciate so much the importance of Mary as mother of Jesus, Mary as mother of the church and Mary as the mother of my life of faith. Moreover, I came to appreciate Sister’s injunctives that I treat my mother with love and respect for whatever limited time she would have on this earth.

Connect with your mothers

This Sunday we will all observe Mother’s Day. For many of you, that will provide a special opportunity to let your living mothers know your love in multiple ways. The Mother’s Day cards that you send, the gifts you buy, the dinner you prepare will all be incidentals by which you show your mother the profound love in your heart for her.

For others of us whose mothers have died, Mother’s Day will be a tender day, more than just a little sad, in which we recall so many memories of the deep love our mothers have for us and vice versa. It will be a day when we connect with them not only in our memories of them but with our prayers of gratitude for them.

And finally, Sister Estelle taught us that the church was our mother, too. For it is through the church that we are born in Christ in baptism, forgiven in penance, nurtured in the Eucharist, strengthened in confirmation, healed in the anointing of the sick and fortified in the vocations of marriage or holy orders. This was a lesson that was later confirmed by our 10th bishop, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, whose episcopal motto is “Ecclesia Mater Nostra,” “The Church, our Mother.”

This “M.O.M.,” take the time to connect with all three of your moms. Take a little time to speak to our universal mother, Mary, as we remember her in a special way this month of May. Take the time to show your special expression of love to your own mother — because she really deserves it. And finally, fall more deeply in love with the church, for she, too, is our mother.

Yes, Sister Estelle was right in reminding us about “M.O.M.,” the month of May, the month of Mary, the month of mothers. Her lesson is as timeless as is the love we show to Mary, to our mothers and to the church.