This morning I decided to write a little post on my Substack about the St. Gregory Pockets, as it's his feast day, and I realized it's exactly ten years since we launched them!
So many of our readers have been with us for so long and maybe even do have Pockets (or some sort of similar community), and some of you may just take this for granted, but every other day I get an email from a lonely, isolated mom with little kids, or one who has moved somewhere and doesn't know how to meet like-minded friends.
Please share the St. Gregory Pocket idea with them! It's much easier than trying to describe the concept to them.
The information is at the top of this post in the menu bar. We have so many posts that offer little tips about what to look for as you're starting to get acquainted with people, how to connect with them, what to expect, and how to keep things going over the years.
Maybe you would start one yourself? Maybe you're good at getting the Facebook group going but not get-togethers, but you have a friend who's good at that? Go for it! You're just getting the group started, not necessarily running it. All the info is here.
NB: Please subscribe to my Substack if you haven't already! It's free, and the posts will arrive in your email if you like!
A blessed feast day to you! St. Gregory, pray for us!
Bridget says
I am, by default, the contact for the St. Gregory’s Pocket of Northern NJ. I’m still not sure how this happened, but here we are. This is the year, though, that Iam determined to get out of the ground. I’m asking for prayers, that I am able to be a gracious and welcoming host, and an organized facilitator, and that we have a fruitful year.
PS:If you’re in NJ, and looking to join in, please feel free to contact me. Bridgieandgreen@gmail.com
Suzie says
We have a similar thing that I started, a Catholic Mothers group. We meet once a month in the parish hall with coffee, squash and biscuits. The children run around, we provide reliigous colouring sheets, we pray the rosary and chit chat. It was the least effort thing that I could imagine doing that still had a “catholic” flavour rather than being just another toddler group. We get the hall for free and it probably costs me £1-£3/month in comestibles. Excellent value in my opinion!
I highly recommend Just Starting with the lowest effort thing you think you can manage. Once you have something going you can build on it, but you don’t want to burn out before it even gets going.
Annie says
Something you could consider adding occasionally if you find a priest who is willing- ask a priest to come one day to offer confessions for the mothers! We try to do this once or twice a year and it is wonderful.
Leila says
I agree! Wonderful!
And to jump from getting together in that hour to building a community, we have some ideas (that you have probably already thought of and implemented, but maybe others can benefit) in the St. Gregory Pockets category — found up in the menu bar!
Ellen says
I started a mom’s bible study in Northern Michigan with some older ladies from church to provide the teaching. Coffee and tea and whatever I bake. A few babies crawling between us. Slowly we are building community and friendships and thoughtful discussions about important things.
Leila says
That’s wonderful! Good for you!
I’m sure you are doing this but for the others, I’ll say that the bridge between a mother’s group and a community is the service to each other. In the posts about the St. Gregory Pockets we outline what those things look like — and they are very important! Do check them out!
Ellen says
Thank you for pointing that out. Im sure I read that here before but it is easy for me to forget. I am getting alot better about visiting new moms with food, even if they are not ladies i am close to. I notice many others doing the same so we must be rubbing off on eachother.