Joint Liturgical Studies 93: The (Re)Ritualisation of the Transition to Motherhood within the Church of England
Joint Liturgical Studies 93: The (Re)Ritualisation of the Transition to Motherhood within the Church of England
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In cultures worldwide, rituals and rites of passage are used to mark life’s transitions: from birth, to coming of age, to death. However, universally it is matrescence, the transition to motherhood, which is the ‘least ritualised of the great human transitions’. The modern Church of England is no different: the once-expected service, Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth Commonly Called the Churching of Women (1662 Book of Common Prayer) has fallen out of use, perhaps replaced in part by the Common Worship service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child, in which the focus is firmly on the child, and not the mother. The modern-day woman is left wondering where she fits in, on one hand participating in God’s creative work, and yet seemingly forgotten in the Church.
This work is intentionally output-focussed, and an aim is to offer resources which could be used with women in a variety of settings. As there are no authorised Common Worship resources, the liturgies are devised from scratch, using other existing resources for inspiration, but producing completely new liturgies. These are offered as guides only, to allow flexibility and creativity, and to enable the presenting needs of the woman traversing matrescence to be met.
Joint Liturgical Studies offers a valuable contribution to the study of liturgy. Each issue considers a particular aspect of liturgical development, such as the origins of the Roman rite, Anglican Orders, welcoming the Baptised, and Anglican Missals. It is aimed at all with an academic interest in worship.
It is published twice a year in partnership with the Alcuin Club, which promotes the study of Christian liturgy, and the Group for Renewal of Worship (GROW).