WelCom May 2023
Marie Russell
The Young Christian Mothers group was formed in the Sacred Heart Parish of Hastings in 1974 with the help and support of Fr Paul Shannahan sm. Although the group was Catholic based, they opted to use the word Christian rather than Catholic to reflect their wish to be inclusive, particularly for non-Catholic women who had Catholic husbands. The group was active for about 10 years but friendships that came about because of the group have, in many cases, been lifelong.
In March this year, 29 women who had been Young Christian Mothers – and who are now Much Older Christian Mothers – gathered for lunch to celebrate the friendships and support that has been so much a part of the group. The gathering was enjoyed so much, it has been decided to make it an annual event to be celebrated every March.
Anyone who was not contacted for this year’s gathering is invited to send their contact details to the Catholic Parish of Hastings, ph (06) 878-7774 or email admin@hastings.parish.nz with ‘Young Christian Mothers’ in the subject line, to be included in next year’s gathering.
