
How One Mum’s Loss Became a Beacon of Hope for Others
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Mother’s Day isn’t always filled with joy.
Sometimes it’s marked by an unbearable loss. But for one Aussie mum, it sparked a journey of faith that would inspire countless others.
This Mother’s Day, we had the privilege of speaking with Sally, the heart behind The Pursuit of Unwavering Faith. Sally’s story is raw and touching. After losing her first child alone during COVID, she began her mission to help women in these troubled times.
She spent years creating faith-based small businesses dedicated to making Catholic gifts and ornaments that offer comfort, beauty, and above all, hope.
This is the powerful reflection of a Maronite Mum who continues to love, despite everything. Here’s Sally’s story and advice about pursuing faith and never stopping:
"What inspired you to start Pursuit of Faith?"
For me, starting The Pursuit of Unwavering Faith was a direct inspiration received in my heart during covid, after gaining (I’ve come a long way to start believing it as a gain) my first baby into Heaven. The Pursuit came as an inspiration after living in the trenches for so long after my first loss. It was in 2020, during the time of covid, no Masses (as a daily Mass goer at the time, I really really felt missing Jesus deep down in my heart), and isolated, it all came crashing down.
Throughout the entire process of miscarrying and hospitalisation (and at the time my husband had to always wait outside due to covid restrictions), one instance with a nurse stuck by me. She had broken the news to me on my own, and to console me, she gifted me a bouquet of sunflowers. That simple gesture with no words was felt deeply. And so the pursuit began by the inspiration of creating these little moments for mothers suffering loss by making memorial ornaments for the Christmas tree. Now, while still providing memorial ornaments for the Christmas tree, it has become about creating faith-based gifts and home decor pieces for any life stage.
How has your understanding of Mary’s motherhood deepened or changed through your loss? What aspect of Mary’s life or heart do you turn to most as a Catholic mum?
Now I’ve had to merge these two questions together because the answers, as you will see below, became so intertwined in my journey of unwavering faith.
My understanding of Mary’s motherhood has definitely changed over time. To be completely honest, at first, I struggled to see how I could be consoled by her and her motherhood in terms of my miscarriage. In my heart and mind, her Immaculate Conception and all her characteristics that flow from that were far-fetched for me.
However, over time, as I leaned into her suffering at the cross, I caught on to the characteristic of her Immaculate Heart, unwavering faith. Her unwavering faith is what got her through her pains and sufferings at the cross. Her unwavering faith in God, in His promises, in His goodness, and in His ability.
Now having wavered in my faith, and learning that to have unwavering faith is the foundation of all virtue, I knew full well that that is exactly where I have to work on, hence the pursuit of unwavering faith. In the hope that one day I will be united with my babies.
Is there something you would recommend to mothers celebrating this day after a miscarriage?
The first Mother’s Day after a miscarriage is extremely hard on the heart (as will all first be). I feel that to recommend something implies that I’m an expert in the matter, so what I would say is to remember that you are a mother. No matter what the world or culture says about you or your baby, you became a mother the day you conceived. It may look different from what you expected, from what it looks like to others, but it is still glorified in God’s perfect will.
What do you hope your daughters understand about Catholic womanhood that the world gets wrong?
I currently have one precious daughter (this side of Heaven), and as she goes through life, my prayer for her is to truly understand that authentic womanhood is a strength and not a weakness. At the cross, Christ gave us His mother, the epitome of woman. And He came from a woman, therefore elevating the status of women. We are not second in society, we are equal in dignity but different in role.
What’s your favourite Catholic book and why?
I was laughing with my husband the other day that I have to start a pursuit of spiritual reading again. Prior to marriage and children, I would read. I have not had the ability to read much at all. But thinking back to a book that has probably been the foundation of linking and realising the sacredness of our bodies and our roles in society would be The Theology Of The Body for Beginners by Christopher West.
This Mother’s Day, whether you've been in a similar boat to Sally or not, there’s something deeply valuable to be learnt.
Catholic life isn’t void of suffering, but like Mary, sanctified through it. The Pursuit of Unwavering Faith is the organisation that knows this best, to spread beauty and hope throughout Australia.
As we journey on the rest of our lives, let’s not forget the words of Sally today as we walk in unwavering faith - trusting the promise that even our crosses can become seeds of grace.
God Bless,
Virtue Books and Gifts