Are you looking to delve deeper into your spiritual life on a consistent basis? Would you enjoy meeting regularly with other like minded moms in your area? Then a monthly spiritual reflection and discussion group is for you.
Run similar to a regular book club, 6 to 8 moms meet one evening each month, rotating homes to host. However, there is no advance reading or preparation necessary. Instead, the groups use Melannie Svoboda’s “Traits of a Healthy Spirituality” as a guide. All reading, reflection and discussion is done in the moment, as a group.
Mary Marrocco
To join a group in your area, contact Claire McGarry at clairemcgarrywrites@gmail.com.
March 2019
MOSAIC Moms Group #7
(Front L to R) Jennah Costa, Janessa Murphy, Kristen Sudati, Kathleen McCann Gregor (Back L to R) Ali Belkus, Holly Breton, Jessica Sharpe, Jubilee Oberlander
December 2017
(Front L to R) Michelle Doyle, Jean Armano, Nina Gilbert (Back L to R) Meghan Ridlon, Liz Kistler (Not in photo – Jess Weller, Claire McGarry)
MOSAIC Moms Group #6
(Front L to R) Colleen Judge, Sandy Lane, Katie Lane (Back L to R) Clarivel Dragas, Mary Mottolo, Robin Sasek, Lisa Campbell
MOSAIC Moms Group #3 – Rebooted
(Front L to R ) Laura Cousens, Christina Clifford (Middle L to R) Alyssa Dauer, Meagan Koes, Mary Orlep, Marnie Shambo (Back L to R) Naomi Thompson, Angel Bacigalupo (Not in photo – Sandra Freitas and Michelle Collins)
MOSAIC Moms Group #5 – Moms of Teens
(Back L to R) Kimberley Clementi, Amy Fischer, Bea Martin, Pam Sarantis, Alese Currie, Cynthia Mathieu
(Back L to R) Jessica Smith, Mary Motolo, Laura Phillips, Katie Murphy
(L to R) Nina Gilbert, Judy Nolan, Teresa Burke, Jessica Weller, Christine Scola, Jean Armano and Michelle Doyle
“I found myself at a crossroads in life. I finally had the family that I had prayed so hard for, yet something was missing. I felt a disconnect and I had a longing for something more. I asked God to ‘bring Godlike friends into my life.’ He answered my prayers with an invite to join a MOSAIC Moms group! I have come to love these woman with all my heart. We are all very different, yet so much the same. I love that I have a secure place to share my faith, feelings, thoughts, and failures. I feel like God speaks directly to me, through these ladies at times. The best part is, I feel like I’m becoming a better version of me, because of them. I encourage you to join. You won’t regret it!”
“My MOSAIC Mom’s group has been meeting for the past two and a half years. After only a few months together, I knew I was apart of something special. I have learned so much from these women about myself, mothering and God. It is so nice to be a part of a diverse group of women who are open about their faith and so supportive and caring of one another. I am so blessed to be a part of this group!!”
“Given the stress and crazy schedules inherent with parenting these days, it can be so hard to stop and re-assess your relationship with God in any kind of meaningful way. I’m finding the Mosaic Moms group to be a real gift, something I had not been actively searching for but found me at a time when I was ready to take another step forward. Monthly meetings are both a time for spiritual reaffirmation and for connecting with moms who are saying the same things I am thinking. It gives me a chance to step outside my own head and in a way to also become more open to the gifts all around me when I see others willing to be open about their own path and honest about their struggles, needs, inspirations and faith. Thanks to Claire for organizing, and to my fellow travelers for sharing the journey with me!”
“Through the friendship with the women in my MOSAIC Moms group, I’ve grown as a person and I feel like I’m better able to listen to my friends and family and truly ‘hear’ when they speak to me. As part of our time together in group, each of us gets a chance to talk uninterrupted from our hearts, and we each listen to what the woman speaking is saying. That uninterrupted time is such a gift to me as a mom. I value our monthly meeting so much and attribute a large portion of my personal and spiritual growth to MOSAIC Moms.”
“The MOSAIC Moms group is an amazing part of my month. The composition of the group and the format of the meetings encourages meaningful conversation with the other moms. There have been times when it is hard to leave the house and I think of skipping but I’m always glad that I go. The response I get from my husband when I come home is: ‘You’re so happy!'”
“I have been a part of my MOSAIC moms group for almost three years. I joined hoping to have ‘grown up’ time with other moms while exploring my spirituality. I was surprised at the friendships that have emerged from this group. The reality is we are all struggling to be good moms and are able to support each other in a unique way. Every month I look forward to sharing my joys and sorrows and I know that my MOSAIC moms all have each others back.”
“Over the years I have met and become friendly with many women, but most of those friendships have been missing a very important element for me. My faith is at the core of who I am and why I do what I do. While all of my friends know that my Catholic faith is a very important part of my life, it isn’t always easy to freely discuss matters of faith with friends who do not share some of those core values…then MOSAIC of Faith came along. It is so refreshing to be able to openly discuss any topic while reflecting on how important it is to be true to myself as a Catholic woman trying to live out my vocation as a wife and mother. I also gain so much insight by listening to the other women in our group share their joys, sorrows, triumphs and struggles as women of varying faiths. MOSAIC of Faith has filled a void for me and I am so very grateful for it!”
“My MOSAIC Moms small group has been a great way to get to know other moms. We have become a support system for each other through prayer requests, advice, and even just girl talk. It gives us a monthly opportunity to unwind, unplug, reflect, and pray….something that moms often don’t make time for.”
“As a frazzled, stay-at-home mom of three kids, I rarely have time to stop and take a breath, let alone be as reflective as I’d like to be, ideally, in both my motherhood and my spirituality. My MOSAIC Moms group is a much-needed time out each month for me to do both. It’s a time for me to regroup, rethink, and reconnect with myself, as well as to share, connect, learn, and grow with the amazing women who are a part of our group. Our book, The Traits of a Healthy Spirituality, by Melanie Svoboda, SND, gives us short, succinct, but amazingly insightful individual attributes to focus on each month. The discussions this book sparks deepen my spirituality, cultivate new insights into my job as a mother every day, and prompt me to stretch and grow beyond my comfort zone in the best possible ways. For weeks after reading any particular chapter, I am still revisiting things we cover more deeply in my heart and mind, coming up with new, more profound connections as I continue to ponder what our group discusses. After more than two years together now, our group is ready in just one more month to finish Melanie Svoboda’s book and move on to our next exciting selection–I can’t wait to be surprised by what comes next! MOSAIC Moms is truly a blessing in my life. It grounds me, and it’s like a spiritual and mothering reset all in one.”
“I recently joined the MOSAIC Moms Group and feel so blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of women. Although I have met with a friend before for our own “prayer group,” participating in a larger group, with a structured format centered around motherhood and God, has been amazing. I can tell from the first few meetings that this is going to be an incredible journey. This group has already made a big difference in my life, and reinforced to me the importance and power of bringing God into my life, and by extension, my family’s life. I am so grateful to Claire for creating this group!”
Shifting My Perspective 