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Motherhood: The Home Front of Evangelization
A mother in Wisconsin wanted to know how to intercede in prayer for her family. Through Reach MoreTM mission training and an organization called Millions of Monicas, she’s doing so much more.
More likely than not, you understand the struggle of wanting to broach the subject of faith with someone close to you, but not knowing where to start. Robin Brenner of Sacred Heart parish in Reedsburg, Wisconsin knew that feeling well. She yearned to help her family deepen their faith.
“We all have someone in our life who we want to see have a relationship with God,” Robin shared. She felt like she had come a long way in her own faith journey since starting her family, but didn’t know how to share intentionally with her husband and adult children.
Robin had been actively practicing and deepening her faith since her children had been baptized over twenty years ago, but it wasn’t until completing Reach More mission training that she understood what the life of a disciple on mission looked like. “The mission training really opened my eyes to have courage and confidence in my faith. I learned how to pray spontaneously, how to trust God, and how to be more comfortable with sharing my faith.”
The mission training had ignited Robin’s desire to grow deeper as a disciple of Jesus. She was inspired to help others experience what she had through the mission training and volunteered to lead formation sessions and one-on-one meetings with others in her parish. Even after pouring herself into the work helping the parish coordinate mission training, she still felt that her ability to connect with her family over their faith was lacking.
“There would be times that I desired celebrating Sunday Mass as a family, but I wound up going by myself. I would spend the whole Mass feeling sorry for myself and hardly pay attention to the liturgy,” Robin admitted.
After speaking with a spiritual director at the 2023 Eucharistic Congress in Waukesha, WI, Robin learned of a national organization called Millions of Monicas. She was initially intrigued by their mission, and was encouraged to form a local chapter by some friends who also desired a community of prayer and fellowship for moms.
“That’s one of the wonderful things about mission training,” Robin said, “these women who had also gone through the training in different seasons were advocating for this apostolate. We all desired to accompany each other in prayer, formation, and fellowship, and we were keeping each other accountable.”
By establishing more intentional prayer habits, Robin feels that her disposition has changed in a measurable way. Where she only was comfortable with reciting memorized prayers, she now confidently prays spontaneously in her prayer group and intercedes for specific people in her daily rosary. Where she used to be so nervous to speak to others about her faith, she now feels that there is almost a gravitational pull for others to reach out to her with seeking questions or prayer intentions.
Best of all, the once-daunting task of bridging the gap of faith with her family doesn’t seem like such an impossible mountain to climb. “The best thing I learned about evangelization is ‘don’t overthink it!’” Robin laughs, “Most people are called to look at the little things they’re already doing and to do those things more prayerfully and intentionally.”
Millions of Monicas has only been a ministry at Robin’s parish for a few months, but Robin already believes that every parish should host a chapter. “It makes my heart so happy! I am able to surrender myself to God when I ask him to be my eyes to see who or what needs prayer. The Holy Spirit is leading me not only to intercede for my family, but also for those in my community who I wasn’t aware of before.”
Robin has learned that the yearning she felt for her family was the Holy Spirit inviting her into her apostolate and into deeper trust in God. What passions and heartaches are in your heart? How is the Holy Spirit inviting you to face those desires and take action as a disciple of Jesus?
Support Group Apostolate | A Wisconsin man is using the structure of a twelve-step program to invite people into the healing power of Jesus’ love:
Tim, from St. Cecilia’s in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, knew that the Holy Spirit was calling him to serve people just like him who are in recovery and battling addictions. He committed to Reach More mission training knowing that he wanted to be equipped to lead a Catholic support group. Tim and his wife Beth reach out to people on the fringes and accompany them on their journey of recovery that is founded on Scripture, prayer, and Christian fellowship.
Sorority Apostolate | A Bradley University student is inviting the Holy Spirit into her sorority by nurturing more intentional relationships with her sisters:
Jordyn, a female student at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, was inspired by Reach More mission training to approach the relationships with her sorority sisters in a more intentional way. She allowed the Holy Spirit to lead her during conversations, especially while sharing meals with the women she lived with. Jordyn dedicated more of her time praying and interceding for her fellow sisters. The campus minister, Sara, noticed that more and more of Jordyn’s sorority sisters have been showing up to Mass each week.
Dinner Apostolate | One woman in Texas is sharing the love of Jesus with her friends, one dinner party at a time:
Amy, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller, Texas, felt called to grow deeper in her friendship with Celeste. Amy invited Celeste to dinner to get to know her better, and Amy felt that the dinner was a success. Later, Celeste began attending Amy’s small group and eventually invited a friend herself. Celeste admitted that she had never owned a Bible before joining the small group, but is now praying with Scripture and attending Mass after a three-year hiatus.
Heart + Habits of Mission: Meet People Where They Are
Heart + Habits of Mission: Meet People Where They AreThe sixth habit of mission is to “meet people where they are.” In our zeal for Christ and the Church, it can be easy to grow impatient with the baby steps of other people’s progress. We might preach or teach too much to our friends or kids, give unsolicited advice to neighbors, or blabber on about our opinions and brilliant ideas instead of attentively discerning what is most interesting, helpful, and important to others.
We certainly do have good news and liberating truth to share with the world! But if we fail to consider the needs and receptivity of others, our attempts at sharing faith will not only fall on deaf ears; they’ll damage our relationships as well. This pushes people further outside of our circles of influence, and possibly further away from the Church.
Yet Jesus shows us another way. Despite having all the answers, wisdom, and guidance the world could ever need, in the Gospels, we find Jesus asking far more questions than he answers. He is constantly entering into the sacred presence of other people, looking them in the eyes, listening deeply to their needs, and choosing his words carefully.
As we grow in attentiveness to others, we can better discern how to love, support, and witness to each individual we meet. Some people need a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. Some need to know that we love them, appreciate them, and care for them no matter what. Some are hungry for growth and change. Some need us to give them some space. There is no one-size-fits-all way to evangelize: it’s always a matter of meeting people where they are, praying for the Lord’s guidance, and—if given the sacred opportunity—helping people take their next step.
