Last fall, Ariana Bosse and her family left a tight-knit group of friends and their military life in small-town Georgia to move closer to her husband’s new civilian job in busy Northern Virginia. Before they left, a friend who had previously lived in Virginia told Bosse about the mothers’ group at St. Louis Church in Alexandria. That group of women became a lifeline for Bosse in the midst of grieving the loss of her old life, adjusting to a new one, and giving birth to their fourth child. “This mothers’ group has probably been the only light for me in the difficult transition,” she said. “Everybody is super helpful — they’re just good, quality people.”
This year, the St. Louis Mothers’ Group celebrates 25 years of bringing families together. Theresa Talavera, a parishioner and mother of 10, still runs the group after founding it with other moms more than two decades ago. “The community that it formed for me, and as I saw over the years for so many other people, made it all worth continuing no matter what,” she said. “The consistency of knowing that the mothers’ group was there was a really great service to a lot of people in our parish.”
Many members agreed. “I’m so thankful for the lifelong friends that I’ve made in this group,” said Mary Mayor, a mom of four girls. “You just realize you’re never alone in whatever struggle you’ve been going through.” After leaving her job as a teacher to stay home with her child, Katie Morris missed regularly seeing her peers, until she joined the mothers’ group. “I feel like it made a big difference feeling that you’re part of a community,” she said. “You’re checking in on people and they’re checking in on you.”
The weekly meeting allows kids a chance to play and moms a chance to discuss relevant topics, such as budgeting, discipline, nutrition or living out the faith at home. The group occasionally takes field trips to nearby parks or the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington. They have special events such as a kids clothing swap and a Christmas cookie and book exchange. When someone has a new baby or a medical emergency, the moms all pitch in to bring over meals for that family.
Parishioner Guadalupe Williamson came from Mexico to the U.S. to study and stayed after meeting and marrying her husband. After the birth of their first child, she went through a rough patch as she adjusted to life as a stay-at-home mom without the help of family nearby; her son also was diagnosed with intellectual disabilities. Her husband saw the mothers’ group listed in the bulletin and suggested she join. Now with four kids ages 6 to 14, she doesn’t always make it to the meetings, but she’s still sharing prayer requests and setting up playdates with the moms she met there. “The mothers’ group really became my family, especially for someone like me who knew nobody here,” she said. “They’re my best friends and my kids call their kids their best friends as well.”
Some mothers acknowledged feeling lonely before they found the community of like-minded mothers.
Williamson fondly remembers trips to the pumpkin patch and the March for Life with mothers’ group families. She recalls one potluck meeting when her young son grabbed a cake made by one of the other moms, ruining that woman’s difficult, delicious work. “I felt so bad, but the moms were so cool about it,” she said. “They knew he had a disability, and I never felt like we weren’t welcome — it was just a very welcoming environment all the time.”
Some mothers acknowledged feeling lonely before they found the community of like-minded mothers.
MaryKate Shakely, a mom of two, shared her parenting struggles in confession with a parish priest. He suspected her struggles might stem from feeling isolated and he encouraged her to join the parish mothers’ group. Now, she’s a regular.
“Life is better when you have these things worth struggling for and it’s nice to be around other people who get it,” she said.
Many of the moms expressed their gratitude for Talavera’s leadership. As a seasoned mom, she always has advice and words of comfort, said Mayor. “I really look up to her and that’s another reason why I’m part of this group,” she said. “She reminds me of my mom — she’s just so generous and really values community-building.” Talavera’s faith-filled life has been an example for others, said Williamson. “She’s a saint,” she said. “It just inspires you to see someone who’s always trying to help, always trying to do good for others and (who) sacrifices her time to have this mothers’ group.”
The mothers’ group commemorated the 25th anniversary over Labor Day weekend with a Mass and celebration. Some past members even came from out of town. “I’m really excited about the fact that we made it this far,” said Talavera. “I think the mothers’ group has shaped my friendships in a huge way over the past 25 years.” Last year, two of Talavera’s children were married. Several of her mothers’ group friends and their kids were at the weddings. “It was beautiful to see that we’ve been on this journey together all these years,” she said. “And we’re still walking hand and hand.”
Maraist is a freelancer from Reston.
