Young Catholic Moms’ Group Offers Cherished Friends, Helpful Advice

Story and Photos by Shelley Wolf

In an old brick school behind St. Francis Church in New Britain, young Catholic mothers from throughout the Greater Hartford area have found a haven and a community.

Whether the moms gather in the meeting room or in the school gym, they can let their children play, sip a cup of coffee, pray a decade of the rosary and swap childrearing advice – growing in faith and Catholic friendship.

“Our group has said how welcome they’ve felt because our faith is alive,” says Kristie Witherspoon, 42, a stay-at-home mother of three from Rocky Hill who joined the group last spring.

Known as the St. Francis Young Mothers’ Group, the women meet every Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. during the school year. They typically gather indoors, but if the weather is good they sometimes meet at local parks and splash pads.

“The preschool kids can color or play with toys on the tables, and the babies and mothers sit on the couches or the floor and hang out and chat,” Witherspoon says. “We also use the gym if the kids are particularly energetic.

“Women from parishes across Connecticut and even southern Massachusetts join us. All are welcome,” Witherspoon adds. Gatherings are casual, since attendance fluctuates. “A lot of our members have new babies, are pursuing master’s degrees or advanced schooling, or have changing work schedules.”

Still, the group usually attracts between 10 and 15 women each week, Witherspoon says. Some members have even joined St. Francis Parish, where they see each other again at Mass.

According to Santina Moran, 31, one of the group’s founders, she and a friend started the mothers’ club in a home in 2020, modeling it on a group her friend’s mother belonged to in Texas, which offered coffee, the rosary and talk. Moran and her friend decided to do the same.

The Connecticut group grew and needed more space. By fall 2022, the women asked Father Michael Casey, pastor of St. Francis Parish, if they could meet at his parish and he agreed.

For Moran, a stay-at-home mom of three from South Windsor, the takeaway is “how utterly important it is to be mothering alongside other women who are as passionate about the mission of motherhood as you are.”

“Motherhood can be very challenging, especially stay-at-home motherhood, where this is all you’re doing,” says Moran. “You can feel very discouraged if things aren’t going the way you want them to.” But the Mothers’ Group counteracts that.

“It’s knowing that there’s a very holy purpose, and you’re not the only one who believes that. There’s a lot of joy in doing it with other mothers. And the best part is your children get to know each other,” she adds.

The faith aspect is equally important. “It’s the cornerstone of how we are raising our families together,” Moran stresses.

Rebecca Noon, 28, another member, moved from Alexandria, Va., to Newington. She wanted to stay home with her children, so her husband found a job in Connecticut that made her dream possible.

Yet Noon felt isolated until someone told her about the mothers’ group. Once she joined, she urged the moms to publicize their presence. “Since it’s been in the parish bulletin, we’ve had more people join,” she says.

The mother of two admits she was hesitant to move to New England, but now she’s grateful that she did. “It’s been a blessing to find other like-minded moms,” Noon says. “It all worked out. God had a plan. This is a good fit for us now.”

For more information, call the parish at 860. 224-2411.