Some 130 mothers, children, grandchildren, and other guests of a Mother’s Day Brunch hosted by Catholic Charities of Philadelphia on Saturday, May 3 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center received words of encouragement, along with a spread of tasty foods and many gifts.
“God rejoices in you,” said Father Chris Walsh, pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Philadelphia and emcee for the event. “Through you, life comes into the world.”
The celebration was one of overcoming odds, of persistent faith, and of love triumphing in the lives of women and children who have endured hardships. CC Philadelphia’s community-based and housing programs have provided resources and helped these women build a community with one another.
“I am seven years in recovery. I’ve dealt with homelessness, so this is like a big step for me to stay within my support group and to give back, just to be connected and in the moment with the place that helped me out so much,” said Jaclyn Arroyo, who brought her daughter to the brunch.
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“Just being in the sheltering system, having to go through transition and then having to go through permanent housing, they’ve just been such a great amount of support. They’re like family.”
“There’s a beautiful spirit here,” said CC Philadelphia’s Community-Based Housing and Homeless Services Division Director Amy Stoner. “These are our moms from our different programs. Some of them live in our residential housing programs, our shelters and our recovery houses.
“We have assisted some of them coming here from another country. Some of them are in our parenting and pregnancy support programs at our different family service centers, so all of these moms are connected to us.”
Some women like Aline, who came from Syria with her own mother, recently began building that connection with others while sharing their own unique connection.
“We come here because it’s Mother’s Day. I love all the families and all the mothers,” she said. “I love my mother and came here to say to my mother, ‘I love you.’”
That motherly connection shone vibrantly throughout the event, as many mothers wearing spring dresses walked a fashion show runway and grooved to Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”
The moms stapled prayer cards to a cross while Barry Martin, program director of St. John’s Hospice, sang and played “Hail Mary, Gentle Woman.” They also danced in a celebration circle to Philadelphia soul classic “I’ll Always Love My Mama” by the Intruders.
Volunteers and observers alike could sense these mothers love each other. They share a bond built from shared struggle, which drives them to volunteer and help each other.
“I do a lot of free events and helping out in the community. This is something that I’ve always done,” said Shakila Moten, who has both received help from Catholic Charities of Philadelphia and volunteered to help others through the same program.
“I see how a lot of the families go through hardships, needing diapers, needing baby milk, needing food, because even the food pantry – which I also go to myself – is a help.”
Deeper emotional connections also offer a poignant sign of help for each other. Those connections are built through events like the Dorothy Day Servant of God Women’s Retreat, held each summer.
“It’s women helping women, and it’s really important when you go into recovery that you build relationships with women. They give you strength. First God, always, and whoever is there to build you up are the people you want to be around,”
said Marriane Suny, who explained how she has endured hardships including the loss of three children.
“God gets me through it, and I’m blessed that he has the Holy Spirit on me in my life, that I can go and pray to him and have a conversation with him, and get answers when he’s ready.”
On this Mother’s Day Brunch the mothers celebrated endurance: of their faith, on incredibly hard journeys, and constant love for their children.
“We just want to honor them because so many of them have a lot of challenges, and they’re doing the best they can,” Stoner said.
“Despite their current situation or circumstances, they’re rising above that to be the best that they can be for their children.”
It was a day to celebrate motherhood, despite all the challenges the mothers face.
As Father Walsh put it, “God hears you. He loves you.”
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