Praying with St. Monica

Parents of children who have left the Church pray to St. Monica

Published: November 30, 2023

By Aprille Hanson Spivey
Conway Correspondent

St. Monica, the patron saint of wives and abuse victims, often prayed for her son, St. Augustine, to turn to Christianity. After 17 years, he did.

St. Monica, the patron saint of wives and abuse victims, often prayed for her son, St. Augustine, to turn to Christianity. After 17 years, he did.

For the past four years, about 30 people have met at Christ the King Church in Little Rock to pray for the intercession of St. Monica that the Holy Spirit will move their children, other relatives or friends back to Catholicism.

The St. Monica Prayer Group began in 2019, following a dream by parishioner Evelyn Moseley, who founded and leads the group with help from fellow Bible study friends Dianne Toomer and Dana Bauer.

The group attends the first Friday Mass at noon and afterward gathers in the vestibule for about 10 to 15 minutes of prayer to the mother of St. Augustine, who had fallen away from his faith, only to return and become a saint himself. About 100 people have joined the monthly email communication for the group.

Moseley and her husband, John, have five children, each on their own spiritual journeys that have led them closer or further from their Catholic upbringing.

“I had a literal dream,” she said. “We were praying already for our own children, family and friends who have left. The dream was that those prayers could be multiplied. There were more people needing it here.”

Moseley wrote and created a prayer card for the group, which is read at each gathering. She also starts with a short opening reflection and asks if any stories of grace wish to be shared. Moseley said it’s purposely brief, given the weekday lunch hour.

While some stories throughout the years have been about loved ones returning to the faith, some highlight the small movements of the Holy Spirit, Moseley said.

“There was a case one time when a daughter did not have a relationship with her parents and the mother was inspired to take dinner over to her daughter to renew their relationship. It’s not always this huge gigantic leap, but it’s still moving toward Jesus,” she said.

For more information about the St. Monica Prayer Group, contact Moseley at (918) 237-1841 or .

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