Patricia Sipple – February 11, 2006

Hi, my name is Patricia Sipple.  My husband John and I have been parishioners here for 7 1/2 yrs.  We have 3 children: Tommy, Brian, and Caroline.  I would like to share with you about my experience in the MoMS group, one of the Small Christian communities here at St. Catherine’s.

About four years ago, a notice in the bulletin caught my eye.  Some women were looking for other “mothers of young children” to participate in an 8-week prayer program, called “Ministry of Mothers Sharing” (hence the name MoMS).   At the time my boys were ages 5 and 2.  In the months after my second child’s birth I experienced some difficult events, including a diagnosis of early stage cancer.  It was a time when I was challenged on many levels, and didn’t have much of a support network here.  Though I can say my faith helped me through, I realized that I wanted it to be stronger and a more constant part of my life; not just something I called on in times of need.

So the idea of the group definitely appealed to me, but weeks passed and I still didn’t sign up.  I had never participated in a small faith group, and had many reservations:

-                     Will I be comfortable praying with a group?

-                     Will it be, somehow “too” religious for me?

-                     Do I have to share personal things?

-                     What if I’m supposed to share some deep thoughts and I have nothing to say?

Basically I was nervous about opening myself up to others, and perhaps to myself.

For these reasons, I knew deep down that I needed to give this a try.  You know the saying, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”.  So with my husband’s encouragement, I took the leap and went to the first meeting – without ever having signed up in advance!  Pretty quickly I got over my reservations.  What I found were 6 women who, like myself, wanted their faith to have a stronger presence in their everyday lives.  We are all following our own paths on this journey.  Each of us brings different experiences, thoughts, and perspectives, and together we support each other.  I have grown so much thanks to these differences, this support, and the willingness of the others to share of themselves.

Initially the plan was to meet for 8 weeks.  Four years later, we are still going strong.  We have explored different methods of prayer, like journaling, book discussion, focused prayer, studying the weekly scripture readings, and guided meditations.

As a group we decided that we really wanted to model service for our children. We have done a variety of service activities, and our kids have always participated in some capacity.  These have been wonderful opportunities to put our faith into action.

And lest you think we’re all work and no play, our families do meet socially on a regular basis, most recently for the Super Bowl.  It’s becoming a challenge to find space where we can all gather, as we now number 18 adults and 22 children (under the age of 11)!  Over the years, seeing all these familiar faces at mass and church activities has helped me and my family feel more connected to the St. Catherine’s community.

It’s really hard for me to imagine my life now, had I not joined MoMS.  Taking time to focus on my faith has brought greater balance to my life.  While I still have a ways to go, it feels good to know that I’m actively working on it. As one of our members eloquently put it, “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 Christian community to help them along the way.” 

This experience and these women have truly enriched and blessed 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 joining a new MoMS Group or another Small Christian Community experience for Lent.  Please stop and see the people with the clipboards.  Remember: nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Thank you.