Discovering Catholic Motherhood

~by Mary Singleton

Motherhood

Whether a person has children or not, the word itself conjures up emotions and idyllic images. A woman who has a child can attest to the fact that the idea of having a baby is very different from the reality of having one. The sweet newborn smell? The sleep deprivation? The diapers? Yes, yes, we've heard all about those. But welcoming that brand new person into the home is an emotional and physical adjustment that can't quite be conveyed by the helpful lady in the checkout line, or even the dense manuals telling you "what to expect" during those first months. It is exhilarating and joyous and exhausting and overwhelming, all at the same time.

When I had my first son I was relatively new to Maryland and the first of my friends to have a baby. I quickly realized that the "stay at home" part of the stay at home mom title was going to have to be a formality. As much as I loved the quiet moments we shared at home, we both needed more interaction with the world outside and as we ventured out, we found we weren't the only ones. I was hungry for human contact and greeted all dog walkers and stroller pushers with a grin, hoping to find friendship and community in my neighborhood. While some of my neighbors were friendly, there was nothing quite like getting the chance to talk to another new mom like myself. It makes sense; new parents are in a very special time in their lives. In one way parenthood is a great equalizer; whether a woman is 22 or 42, if she is holding her first child in her arms she is a new mom and the new mom next to her is like a classmate on the first day at a brand new school.

At Saint Raphael's, we'd like to provide new mothers with a special opportunity to connect with one another. Mothers in our parish share the bond of going through the milestones of new parenthood together and they also share a rich Catholic faith that can be rediscovered in the context of the changes they are experiencing in their lives. Discovering Catholic Motherhood is a program designed to make a space for new moms in our parish and our area to connect with one another and discuss topics relevant to the transitions they are experiencing, from newborn development to growing into a new identity as a mother to taking baby to Mass. Each session will include discussion, play, and prayer.

Since Discovering Catholic Motherhood is intended to build community in our parish, please contact us if you feel you have something special you feel you could share with new mothers about parenthood or marriage during the early years of child rearing. Also, if you know Catholic women in our parish who might like to participate in this program, please let them know about this program! Our first session begins on September 20th at 10am and is for mothers with newborns ages 0-3 months. Another session will begin in January.

In Dorothy Day's The Long Loneliness, she writes of her daughter Tamar who is lonely because she is at home raising small children. Day spent her life serving God and seeking Him through the Sacraments and service to the poor, and she offers that "the only answer, in this life, to the loneliness we are all bound to feel, is community." We hope that women who decide to join this program will feel re-welcomed into the parish, and especially into the beautiful tapestry of community that is already being woven through the Women of Saint Raphael's. Please pray for this ministry and for all new mothers.

Contacts:

Veronica veronica.greenwell@gmail.com

Mary mpksingleton@yahoo.com