Commontide
Proper 13
Liturgical Color: White/Gold
The 7th Sunday after Trinity
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your grace that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Most liturgical texts are from the Book of Common Prayer (2019) of the Anglican Church in North America.
The New Coverdale Psalter, © 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America. Used by permission.
Founder of the Mothers' Union
Anglican Commemoration
Mary Sumner (1828–1921) founded the Mothers’ Union, which became the largest women’s organization in the Anglican world. Remembering the difficulties she had experienced as a young mother, she gathered women from different social classes in her husband’s Hampshire parish in 1876 to support one another in raising their children in the Christian faith. What began at a country rectory grew to nearly 388,000 members by the time of her death and later became a worldwide movement of some four million members across the Anglican Communion.
Mary Sumner was born in 1828 and spent her early adult life as a devoted wife, mother, and parish member in Old Alresford, Hampshire. Concerned with the spiritual welfare of mothers and families in her parish, she founded the Mothers' Union in 1876 as a small, local organization with the motto 'To love one's family; to love one's country; to love one's God.' The organization rapidly grew beyond Old Alresford, spreading throughout England and the broader Anglican world. By the time of her death in 1921, the Mothers' Union claimed approximately four million members across multiple continents, making it one of the most influential lay-led organizations in the Anglican Communion. Her leadership was characterized by personal warmth, deep faith, and practical commitment to family life and women's spiritual formation. She died on August 9, 1921, leaving behind an institution that continues to shape Anglican women's ministry in the 21st century.
Mary Sumner is venerated as a pioneer of lay-led women's ministry within Anglicanism. The Mothers' Union remains her primary legacy, continuing her vision of strengthening Christian family life and supporting mothers in their faith. She exemplifies the Anglican principle that lay members are essential participants in the Church's mission. Her organizational genius and pastoral vision established a model for global Anglican women's associations.