Alone, yet together !” – Pastoral care and helping with building community network for mothers raising their children alone and for mothers being in crisis

Participants during a Lent spiritual programme

The project responded to the vulnerable situation and multiple hardships single mothers face after separation or loss of their partners. Many live with financial instability, housing difficulties, and challenges in child-rearing, often compounded by prolonged court proceedings with former spouses. Emotional scars are common, with mothers reporting exhaustion, loneliness, low self-confidence, and a sense of aimlessness. These struggles directly affect their children, who also suffer from isolation and instability.

To address these realities, the project provided pastoral care and community support under the title “Alone, Yet Together!”. Over nine months, a series of monthly gatherings and interim online meetings were organised, combining spiritual, psychological, and practical support. Activities included creative “getting to know each other” sessions, discussions on single parenting, stress management workshops, a Lenten spiritual day, and informal family-friendly outings such as the Katica Centre weekend and a cultural visit to Kaposvár Cathedral. A psychologist was invited to lead group sessions, helping mothers open up and address deep-seated emotional challenges. Alongside group meetings, individual counselling and spiritual accompaniment were made available with the support of priests, health professionals, and volunteers.

Despite some cancellations and adjustments, the program succeeded in building a supportive and trusting community. Mothers reported strengthened faith, greater self-confidence, and improved coping skills for loneliness and parenting challenges. Conflicts in the mother–child relationship were eased, while healthier lifestyle practices and hopeful visions for the future began to emerge. Friendships were formed among both mothers and their children, who enjoyed playing and spending time together in a safe environment. A prayer network, initiated spontaneously by participants, provided an additional layer of mutual care. The most significant outcome was the creation of a community where the ten single mothers, once isolated, found solidarity, friendship, and concrete ways to support one another. For many, the experience was transformative; some rediscovered the ability to express affection, others found courage to share long-buried burdens, and all grew in confidence and hope. By the project’s end, more than half of the mothers expressed a strong desire to continue meeting, with the community itself taking initiative to sustain the group into the future.