Daily prayer, simple and constant, is the heart of the Monica Mothers. Following the example of St. Monica, they pray tirelessly for their children, those of each and every one of them, convinced that, as St. Ambrose said, “a child of so many tears cannot be lost.” In an interview with Ecclesia, on 13TV, Spain, Laura Ledesma and Luz Estella Aladino shared how this mission transforms lives and keeps faith alive in families.
An uninterrupted prayer network
Every day of the year, without exception, the children of the Monica Mothers are sustained by prayer. This is how Luz Estella explained it:
“A prayer choir is organized with seven moms. Each one prays on a different day, so our children are covered 365 days a year. It’s a beautiful and precious community.”
This constancy recalls the example of St. Monica, who prayed for more than 30 years for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. A perseverance that today continues to bear fruit in thousands of families.
“It works, it works a lot.”
Asked about the effectiveness of prayer, Luz shared her personal experience:
“It works, it works a lot because we have many testimonies of children who have been in danger and because of that prayer in community they have come out well. Intercessory prayer reaches heaven like perfumed incense”.
Laura, for her part, shared how she has seen it in her family:
“Since I joined in April 2024, I have noticed real changes. My children began to approach faith experiences of their own free will, and at home there is a different way of treating each other, more affection and unity. Prayer does a lot.
Praying for one another: the strength of community
The spirit of the community is to pray for everyone’s children, not just our own. Laura described it in simple words:
“I pray for other people’s children knowing that they pray for mine. And so we keep the faith alive at a time when the family and the Church are under attack. It is a way of passing on the faith so that it is not lost.”
Luz added that not only mothers with children participate:
“There are also grandmothers, aunts and women who pray for their godchildren. Everyone has a place, because it’s about living in the image of St. Monica.”
A legacy that crosses borders
Although she got to know the community in Spain, Luz had already experienced it in Colombia:
“There, in Palmira, an Augustinian Recollect friar invited me to a Eucharist. When I came to Spain I found the same dynamic, now accompanied by an Augustinian Recollect religious in the parish of Santa Monica, in the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid. Prayer unites, here and there”.
Laura, for her part, emphasized that belonging to the Monicas Mothers:
“It helps to have patience and humility, like St. Monica, and to trust in God’s providence.”
A mission that does not stop
The testimony of Laura and Luz shows how persevering, simple and shared prayer changes hearts and transforms families. The Madres Monicas are a living sign of hope: mothers, grandmothers and women who, every day, raise their voices for their children, confident that God always listens.
From the Augustinian Recollect family we thank the Apse Media Group, COPE and 13TV for helping us to spread this charism that has its roots in St. Monica and continues to bear fruit today in the whole world.