This is such a beautiful and important message!
During the SEEK 2026 conference in Denver, Colo., ChurchPOP asked Sister Ines Sandoval, OCD, of the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, if she had any wisdom to share with mothers.
This came after a candid conversation among a group of moms outside a booth at the yearly FOCUS conference.
Watch the Carmelite Sister's message below:
As a spiritual mother herself, Sister Ines gifted us with a profound, much-needed message.
“Mothers, first of all, I just want to tell you how beautiful you are,” she begins.
“I want to thank you for your 'yes'…”
Sister Ines continues her message of encouragement, saying,
“I’m blessed to be a spiritual mother, but you and I—we walk this road together.”
She explains that both the vocation of spiritual motherhood and that of physical motherhood require a whole-body and spiritual investment.
Then, she adds a special message to mothers who might be questioning whether or not their work is valued or worthy.
“I just want to remind you, yes,” she says.
“Please, don’t give up, and thank you for claiming your spiritual motherhood and your authority as a daughter of the King.”
What a powerful reminder!
Here is the full text of ChurchPOP's video with Sister Ines Sandoval, OCD:
"Mothers: First of all, I just want to tell you how beautiful you are. I want to thank you for your 'yes.' I want to thank you for claiming your genuine femininity and your God-given gift of motherhood. I'm blessed to be a spiritual mother, but you and I, we walk the road together because it's a full, whole body and spirit investment. As you wake up at three o'clock in the morning, as you change those dirty diapers, as you clean those runny noses and wipe those precious tears off children's faces, you are claiming your authority as a daughter of the king and as a spiritual mother. So for all you precious moms out there, if you're ever in a spot where you feel like you know, 'Is all of this making sense?' – I just want to remind you, Yes, and please don't give up, and thank you for claiming your spiritual motherhood and your authority as a daughter of the king."