churching
New mother's blessing
Churching is a Christian ceremony blessing a woman after childbirth, traditionally marking her first return to church following delivery.
The practice dates to purification rituals in Leviticus and was once common in Catholic and Anglican traditions: She went for her churching six weeks after the baby was born.
Now largely obsolete, though some traditional parishes maintain it.
Expression of grateful praise
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- new motherWoman who recently gave birth
- forty daysScriptural trial duration
reintegration · thanksgiving service · confinement · lying-in · childbirth · recovery · Book of Common Prayer · parish
Quantity of matter
- sacramentSacred ritual conveying grace
- rosaryBeaded prayer counter
- novenaNine-day prayer practice
- purification riteCeremony removing spiritual contamination
Candlemas · Virgin Mary · presentation · canon law · liturgical · Roman Catholic · Eastern Orthodox · blessing prayer
Formal worship structure
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- riteCeremonial act or practice
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- processionFormal moving line
vestments · candle · veil · sacramental · service · observance · priest · thanksgiving prayer
Of the Middle Ages
- VictorianOf a prim era
- AnglicanChurch of England member
- ProtestantPost-schism Western Christian
- ReformationReligious movement splitting Christianity
colonial America · custom · community · midwife · gossips · feast · celebration · superstition
thanksgiving
Expression of grateful praise
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- new motherWoman who recently gave birth
forty days · reintegration · thanksgiving service · confinement · lying-in · childbirth · recovery · Book of Common Prayer · parish · clergy
mass
Quantity of matter
purification rite · Candlemas · Virgin Mary · presentation · canon law · liturgical · Roman Catholic · Eastern Orthodox · blessing prayer · priest
liturgy
Formal worship structure
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- riteCeremonial act or practice
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
procession · vestments · candle · veil · sacramental · service · observance · priest · thanksgiving prayer · benediction
medieval
Of the Middle Ages
- VictorianOf a prim era
- AnglicanChurch of England member
- ProtestantPost-schism Western Christian
Reformation · colonial America · custom · community · midwife · gossips · feast · celebration · superstition · taboo
churchingexcommunication
Formal barring from sacraments
funeral rites · last rites · baptism · confirmation · ordination
churchingapostasy
Renunciation of former beliefs
secularization · irreligion · lapsing · dechristianization · godlessness
churchingexcommunication
Formal barring from sacraments
anathema · shunning · banning · interdict · church discipline
church, churches, churchyard, churchman, churchly, churchgoer, churched, churchwarden, churchwoman