About

The Catholic Mothers' Story

Christ at the Centre

Chiara's story

Hi, my name’s Chiara Finaldi and I’m the founder of Catholic Mothers UK.

I grew up in a broken family and when I was a child, I saw a lot of things that a child shouldn’t see. My parents were very unhappy and my father’s violence towards my mother led them to split up for some time. It looked like this would be the end of their marriage.

It was when my father was at rock bottom that our parish priest invited him to come back to church and there he heard and received the Gospel message, that God loved him and had sent His Son Jesus to save him. I saw this message transform my father and then my family.

The love of Jesus made our family new. Our broken family became a united family that prayed and went to Mass together. I saw then that with Christ at the centre there is unity, peace, and beauty and that anything is possible through His grace. This is where my faith comes from. I became convinced that more people needed to hear this message and that if all families had Christ at the centre, the world would be transformed.

We need a sisterhood

The story of Catholic Mothers UK‍

I married my husband when I was 19 and chose to raise our children instead of going to university or working. Because of this, other women would question my choice, asking me when I would go back to work and expecting me to want ‘more’ for myself. I battled with the insecurity that I had made a second-best choice and I know that many mothers struggle with this.

I also struggled to find a community where the difficult realities of motherhood were shared but without the vocation of being a wife and mother being bashed. In secular mother’s groups, I experienced a great sisterhood but also experienced being judged for sharing my faith.

I felt strongly that women needed to be strengthened in their vocation and reminded of the beauty of life as a wife and mother. We needed a sisterhood for Catholic mothers.

In 2015, I launched the Catholic Mothers forum. Since then over 5,000 Catholic mothers have joined the forum and the work of Catholic Mothers UK has expanded in ways that I could never have predicted. God is good.

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Our values

Orthodoxy
Proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, holding to the teachings of the Catholic Church in all that we do.
Honesty
Encouraging healthy conversations about the difficulties of marriage and family, whilst not disrespecting the vocation.
Renewing
Encouraging a renewal of thought and action at all stages and in all areas.
Growing
Always deepening our faith, so that we can pass it on to our children.
Hospitality
Welcoming people to in-person communities, where lasting friendships are made and where Jesus is present.