Ellen Garcia – February 12, 2006


Hello.  My name is Ellen Garcia.  My husband, Mariano, and I have been members of this parish for about 10 years.  We have three children: Mikaela who is 5, Teresa who is 3 and Juan Pablo who is 10 months. 

About 4 years ago I was at a communal penance service and the examination of the faith really pushed me to realize that my spiritual life was pretty abyssmal.  During individual confession that day, the priest gave me as my penance the task of improving my prayer life.  When the invitation to join the MoMS Small Christian community came a few months later, I hung the announcement on my refrigerator and eventually called.  So I like to joke with my group that spending time with them is my penance. 

But seriously, our group formed about 4 years ago with 7 moms of young children, or as we prefer to be thought of, 7 young mothers.  We met every week for 8 weeks to pray together.  At the end of the 8 weeks we needed to discern if we wanted to continue.  We had formed pretty close bonds already in that short time and decided we would like to stay together.  We decided on a mission statement, so to speak, of Spirituality, Service, and Social.  Since that time we have used different methods of prayer, like journaling, reading/discussion group format, focused prayer, and studying the weekly readings together.  Currently we are meeting biweekly for guided meditations. 

We decided as a group that we really wanted to model service for our children.  Because of this we have, over the years, visited Alterra with our children, delivered Pointsettias, and organized the annual food drive where we collect food outside of the three local P&Cs and deliver it to the Kitchen Cupboard.  Our children are involved in some capacity with each of these activities.  Our service as a group seems different to me than doing individual service.  Being part of a collective makes you realize that your individual service is magnified when you work together.  I seem to see the big picture much better when we reflect on our service together and I feel I grow more from the experience.

And lest you think we don’t have any fun, our families do meet socially on a regular basis, most recently for the Super Bowl.  We now number 18 adults and 22 children when we are all together.

The greatest benefit to me of joining a Small Christian community has been the improvement of my spiritual life.  As one of the more eloquent members of our group described: Spirituality is not just vertical access.  Without a small group you don’t develop horizontal spirituality.  I think getting insights from other people has helped me grow.  And at one time or another each of these women has been God to me and I am so incredibly thankful for them.  I hope God has used me to support these women as well. 

But wait, there are many other benefits.  I have developed a much greater sense of belonging to St. Catherine’s.  I have found people in similar situations as me and I love seeing the familiar faces.  Our group has become church for one another.  We are supporting each other in our faith and our children are growing up with the “village” of our small faith group to help them along the way.   

With all the benefits I’ve shared, you’d think this was an easy choice to make.  But it wasn’t.  The announcement about the group hung on my refrigerator until the last possible moment before I called.  I was nervous about opening myself up to others.  So, my advice to you is that if you are nervous, join a Small Christian community anyway.  It isn’t important what you do, or how often you meet but the support you provide for each other.  Belonging to a Small Christian community has changed my life. 

We are only one of 13 Small Christian communities at St. Catherine’s.  There will be people at all the entrances after mass to take your name if you are interested in forming a new MoMS Group or would like to become part of a Small Christian Community experience for Lent.  Please stop and see one of the people with the clipboards.