By Nnedinma Okeke
The President of the Catholic Women Organization, St. Matthew’s Parish, Amawbia Lady Regina Igwebuike, has described mothers as “the engine block of civility in our societies, the neck that turns the head,” while urging them not to give up despite heavy economic and social pressures facing families today.
She said this during the 2026 CWO Mothering Sunday activities held on April 18.
Speaking on the challenges of modern motherhood, Lady Igwebuike noted that today’s mothers carry enormous loads, from economic hardship and insecurity to children distracted by phones, peer pressure, and families scattered across cities or countries.
She outlined five anchors for mothers navigating these times: Pray with your feet on the ground – Intercede like St. Monica, but stay close enough to know your children’s friends, fears, and what they watch. “Prayer + presence = power.”
Raise problem-solvers, not just survivors – Teach small responsibilities early, from budgeting airtime to apologizing when wrong.
Guard your peace so you can give it. “You can’t pour from an empty cup. Rest when you can, see a doctor, laugh with fellow mothers.”
Be the faith you want them to keep; Let children see forgiveness, service, and integrity in daily life. “That’s Love in Action, they’ll remember.”
Keep the door and your heart open. Like the father of the Prodigal Son, correct firmly but never close the door to a wandering child.
Lady Igwebuike thanked God for the gift of motherhood, saying words cannot capture the sacrifices mothers make to keep families moving. “A good mother works round the clock to equip her children with the knowledge, skills and abilities to make them competent human beings. She is the heart of the family — she cares, loves, listens, and never gives up on the duties assigned to her by God,” she said.
She described motherhood as “perhaps the hardest, most rewarding job a woman will ever experience, the greatest job in the world — being there, the shoulder to cry on and the familiar hand to hold.” A real mother, she added, “shelters, guides and cares. She is a patient, virtuous woman ready to do everything good for her children — ready to die for them to live, to be sick for them to be healthy, to keep awake so they can sleep.”
Acknowledging that every mother carries scars from keeping her home, the CWO President urged women not to relent or display their pain on the internet. Instead, she called them to accept each condition with the grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom they imitate. “God who called you to this vocation will not leave you without strength for it”.
Nnedinma is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
