Mommy Saints for Catholic Moms

Betsy Kerekes shares the lessons, beauty, and encouragement found in Saintly Moms, a new book of saint stories compiled by Kelly Ann Guest.

What greater gift can a Catholic mom have than the example of mommy saints who came before her? In her new book, Saintly Moms, Kelly Ann Guest provides a succinct bio of 25 women’s lives, followed by a reflection on what can be learned by their example, and ends with a brief prayer for us to emulate the virtues of that saint.

Within the stories of these holy women is advice not just for being a good mom, but also a loving wife and an excellent friend. There are also words of wisdom for single moms, stepmoms, mothers-in-law, grandmothers, and those struggling with depression: either their own or that of a loved one.

Every saint has a lesson to be shared. From St. Rita we are reminded to pray for our spouse, for our children’s souls, and for our children’s future spouses. St. Margaret Clitherow reminds us to schedule prayer into our daily routine. Ven. Margaret Bosco demonstrates perseverance in work, even when a break is deserved. Bosco also reminds us, as she frequently reminded her sons, to “Offer it up!” She was no stranger to difficulty, but knew the value of redemptive suffering by offering hardships to Jesus for the sake of someone in need.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton also had a remarkably difficult life, but through it all, she trusted God’s will. She probably didn’t always understand it, undoubtedly she didn’t always like it, but she always trusted that he knew was what was best for her, and what would bring her to perfection.

Perhaps harder still was the brief life of St. Perpetua, imprisoned for being a Christian. With the help of a friend (and a bit of bribery), she was able to have her baby with her and wean him before she was taken to heaven via a gladiator’s sword. Because Perpetua was robbed of more time with her child, Guest reminds us to “cherish each phase of motherhood… The days may go by slowly, but the years fly by. So hang on to the moment you are in.”

St. Bassa, the Biblical woman who witnessed her three sons killed, is a good patron for those of us who have lost a child. Many women experience this sadness, but Guest, in her book, (as I did in Be a Happier Parent or Laugh Trying), reminds grieving mothers that our children belong to God. We can temper our sorrow with the joy of knowing they are home with him in heaven. Like St. Bassa, who encouraged her children as they died in horrific ways right in front of her, we must remember that sometimes we need to relinquish back to God what is his.

Eliza Vaughan teaches us that as our children get older, we should shift from asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” to “What does God want you to be?” Similarly, Guest reminds us through the example of Bl. Maria Corsini-Beltrame Quattrocchi: “What we put on our children’s schedules tells them what we think should be important for them.” School events, sports, play dates, and other activities are no doubt important, but do we remember to include spiritual activities in their daily routine? Do we make those a priority, so our kids know what is important?

One of my favorite takeaways comes from Guest sharing that her father would always write in her childhood birthday cards: "Remember, the greatest gift your mother and I ever gave you is the gift of Faith." Let's be sure to remind our children of this too.

The overall impression from reading the varied lives of these saintly women is how possible it is for lowly us to become saints. All these women had struggles and fought uphill battles in differing ways. In the end, they overcame themselves and/or outside forces through prayer, trust in God, and doing the right thing. Surely we can do that too. As Guest wrote:

The everyday responsibilities of being a wife and mom provide us with lots of opportunities to become saints. Motherhood is a daily call to die to self … As Catholics, we have all the means necessary. We need only accept and use the graces God sends us to achieve our goal.

Amen!

Thank you, Kelly Ann Guest, for writing such an inspiring book!

Copyright 2021 Betsy Kerekes
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