Special Sundays.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume VIII, Issue 13, 1 July 1918, Page 98

Special Sundays.

It is characteristic of some uncle- 1 nominational. societies which claim the assistance of the Church- of England that they make no attempt to consider her feelings and convictions. The Australian "Church Record" says with regard to the Y.M.C.A.'s appointment 0f ,..'.,' Mother ' ? -Sunday : — ' ' We were asked to observe . Sunday, May 12th, as Mother's Day. Sunday, May 26th, is to be; Bible Sunday,. . . . Now even, those who feel that the 'Special Sunday' idea is being considerably overdone, and that strong resistance ought "to be shown towards the tendency to further interfere with the normal course of worship, will yet feel a great ideal of- sympathy 'for Mother 's Day and Bible. Sunday. .But the loyal churchman is faced .with a perplexing problem. For while to the organisers of these .; movements: the dates fixed are ' May 12th and May 26th, to him they are the' Sunday after Ascension Day and • Trinity Sunday.

"It is to be presumed that the cooperation of the clergy, of tlte Church ; of : England is desired m these matters. Well, surely it is not too much to ask that those responsible should exercise care not to appropriate for their own purpose Sundays of outstanding importance m the Calendar of the Church, Ascension Day being an ordinary day of. business, provides very little practical opportunity : for the proclamation of the great truth of the Ascension. The .following Sunday is, therefore, the Church's day for . special emphasis on that, fundamental truth of the faith.- Trinity .Sunday, too, is the Church's one special festival m connection with the doctrine of : the Trinity. Why should the Church be asked to relegate her: teaching on these vital truths to a subordinate place on days which centuries of usage have made sacred to that especial purpose. What would be wrong with the suggestion that Mother's Day might be either some ordinary Sunday after Trinity or the Sunday following the Festival of the Annunciation, and that Bible Sunday should be fixed for the second Sunday m Advent.

' ' We have no wish to impose the Church's Calendar on our brethren of other denominations. But if the cooperation of the Church of England is sought m these matters m which the majority of Anglicans would probably very gladly co-operate, then surely it is only reasonable to ask that some measure of consideration should be given to the Church's point of view. In no unfriendly spirit we commend these suggestions to those concerned. ' '