Churching of Women following Childbirth

[OldCAFMember]

“… before she could return to Mass and Holy Communion.” So there was a time when in the Catholic Church when post-delivery a woman wasn’t even allowed to attend Mass - based on Church law, not medical issues - until after the “churching?”

So there was a time when women were excluded from both Mass and Communion because of having a baby?!

No, it was when the woman was medically able to get out and attend Mass again. In days gone by, that was a much longer period than it is now.

 

[OldCAFMember]

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Does anyone know when the RC church stopped doing it?

It didn’t. It still exists. Blessing of a Mother after Childbirth

 

[on_the_hill]

@on_the_hill, I’m not sure why this showed up as a reply to you. It was meant for @mattapoisett64.

No prob. It does show an important distinction: exempted vs. excluded.

 

[on_the_hill]

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Does anyone know when the RC church stopped doing it?

It didn’t. It still exists. Blessing of a Mother after Childbirth

I was referring to this:

This is a normal thing for at least some Eastern Orthodox to this day. The Catholic church at some point stopped this practice.

I thought we didn’t do it anymore.

 

[OldCAFMember]

[/quote]

I thought we didn’t do it anymore.
[/quote]

FrDavid has posted the rite as it appears in the modern Roman Ritual. It isn’t as commonly requested anymore, outside of traditional parishes, but the Church hasn’t stopped doing it.

 

[FrDavid96]

FrDavid has posted the rite as it appears in the modern Roman Ritual. It isn’t as commonly requested anymore, outside of traditional parishes, but the Church hasn’t stopped doing it.

What I posted earlier was from the 1964 Roman Ritual. Yes, it can still be done, but it’s not the latest version.

There is a new version in the Book of Blessings (so called) which book I find to be very useful when I cannot find a coaster for my coffee mug.

 

[Vico]

…
We also do the churching rite. With my last baby, I stayed away from Sunday liturgy for a full 6 weeks, but one day, about a month after the birth, I went to Vespers with just baby, but without the family. The priest asked if I was ready to come back, meaning ready to resume regular attendance at the Divine Liturgy. I told him that I wasn’t quite ready for that yet.( I was having an extremely difficult recovery from a C-section and he had encouraged me to stay home until I felt ready to deal with climbing stairs and taking care of squirmy toddlers.) He just told me to let him know when I was ready to be back for good, and we would do the churching then. We ended up scheduling the baptism during that conversation and we did the churching at the baptism, the same as we’ve done with most of the other kids.

It is a beautiful ritual and a beautiful custom.

I really like it also, and it is especially nice when the baptism and chrismation will also occur during that Divine Liturgy.

 

[SusanneT]

Thanks everyone for all the information. It sounds like a lovely traditional custom and I will definitely be speaking to our Priest about it.

 

[babochka]

. Like “Solemn Communion” which English Canada seemed not to know.

Not to throw this thread off track, but what is Solemn Communion as practicedby by French Canada?

 

[Phemie]

Phemie:

. Like “Solemn Communion” which English Canada seemed not to know.

Not to throw this thread off track, but what is Solemn Communion as practicedby by French Canada?

When First Communion was in the teen years back before Pope Pius X said it should occur earlier, it had been seen as a step to religious adulthood, so to speak. After 1910, in France, First Communion got the name “Petite Communion” (little Communion) seen as a family thing more than anything. Remember that Confirmation would often be conferred shortly after First Communion back in those days, if it hadn’t been conferred before.

They developed a program whereby teens would go through some major catechesis culminating in one’s “Solemn Communion” which signaled the end of formal catechesis. I know that in my French parish that practice continued until the late 60s when Confirmation started being pushed back to the teen years. That came to Canada at some point.

Until the late 60s kids who’d received First Communion were confirmed the next time the Bishop came to the village, something that usually occurred every two years. I received my First Communion at the age of 6, at the end of first grade. I was confirmed either the same year or the next year (it’s been 59 years, I had the same teacher both in first and second grade so the years get mixed up).