“Mother’s Day is a day that makes me think about the love of God,” said Bertha Robinson, guest speaker for the first-ever Mother’s Day brunch held by St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bessemer.

With the theme, “It’s All About Her,” the May 6 brunch was the brainchild of St. Francis parishioner Azaline Jones. Serving as program chair and assisted by fellow parishioners and friends of the church, Jones said she hopes to make the Mother’s Day brunch an annual event. Parishioner Angela Wilson was the program’s mistress of ceremony.

It was fitting that Robinson was introduced by her daughter, Dr. Armentress D. Robinson, principal of Charles F. Hard Elementary School in Bessemer.

Noting that the children of a virtuous woman will praise her for her good deeds, Robinson cited Proverbs 31:28: “Her children rise up and call her blessed.”

Mother’s Day was created in 1908 by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia. However, the first official Mother’s Day celebration in the United States occurred in May 1914, after President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it a national day to honor the country’s mothers.

“Mother is an essential part of your life,” Robinson said, “and she wears many hats—nurse, cook, your first teacher… drill sergeant.” She cited examples of mothers in the bible, from Eve, “the first mother,” to Mary, the mother of Jesus. “We think of mother as a wonderful gift from God,” Robinson continued. “Let us celebrate the gift of God.”

A sumptuous meal was served after a rendition of the Lord’s Prayer by a gospel quartet and the blessing of the food by Father Paul Asih, M.S.P., pastor of St. Francis of Assisi.

Saxophonist Gabriel M. Townsend and vocalist Tamala Briggens provided the entertainment at the brunch, which took place on the campus of St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Bessemer.

Other program participants included St. Francis parishioners David Cruz Uribe, Wendi Baldwin, and Debra Pippen-Johnson.