The Catholic Working Mom's Guide to Life

by JoAnna Wahlund

Whatever their unique circumstances, all Catholic working moms have three things in common. 1) They are Catholic, striving to live out the Faith in every aspect of their lives. 2) They are working, some by choice, and some by necessity. 3) Most importantly, they are mothers — knowing that’s the most important responsibility they will ever have.

In The Catholic Working Mom’s Guide to Life, JoAnna Wahlund speaks to the plethora of Catholic women who are looking for other moms with whom to relate, moms who understand the unique challenges of juggling motherhood and work.

This book sums up what JoAnna has discovered about life as a Catholic working mom. In this book you will learn about:

• The large community of other Catholic working moms
• Inspirational saints for working mothers
• How to find peace whether you decide to work or not — and how to discern what’s right for your family
• How to juggle home and family responsibilities while working
• Practical advice on childcare, pregnancy, and maternity leave
• The importance of prayer and fellowship

Find the peace and strength God wants for you as a Catholic working mother.

Genres: Self Help

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2019

Reviews

[Bonnie Engstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a sahm with lots of working mom friends I felt like this was such an important read. Armed with lots of new-to-me information and perspective I can better appreciate the best and worst parts about being a working mom, hopefully making me a better support and friend. I would suggest this book to any woman - one who loves her job, one who hates it, one who is about to (re-)enter the workforce, and one who wants to better love and serve the working women she is privileged to know. I also really enjoyed and appreciated Wahlund's voice as an author. Her writing is both friendly but professional.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine. Nothing too groundbreaking in my opinion, but nothing egregious. I think I’m spoiled by having fellow Christian working moms in my life who have already shared lots of this insight with me and made me realize I’m “not alone” which seems to be the main point of the book, so that probably factors into my reading of this. The author provides lots of ideas for thinking through childcare and flexible work options, but again, nothing I hadn’t heard before. I also found it a bit dated even though this is just from 2019 - a lot of the online resources she points out don’t seem to exist anymore, and post-COVID, I think some of these topics have changed pretty drastically too.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice and tips for Catholic working moms on everything from taking work leave to housekeeping, child care, and self-care. Useful for a variety of situations, not just moms employed full-time outside of the home.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I may not be a mother, I am a Catholic & a working woman, and was therefore still able to glean many valuable insights from JoAnna Whalund’s debut book The Catholic Working Mom’s Guide To Life! From tips on how to cultivate a balance between your work, family, and spiritual needs, to explaining the importance of fellowship as a form of self-care, Wahlund speaks to the heart of every Catholic woman working in the secular world.

I thought it was awesome that Wahlund included advice and tips from members of the CWM FaceBook group; finding little boxed quotes in the margins really brings the Guide to life!

At the end of the book there’s a collection of recommended prayers, novenas, and discernment tools, proving Jenna Hine’s assertion that this book is a “field guide.” The Catholic Working Mom’s Guide To Life is a practical companion for the discerning working woman, and I’m very grateful to Wahlund for sharing her experience and expertise in this wonderful book!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical guide bolstered by real-life honesty. The author speaks from her own experience as a Catholic working mom. There are chapters concentrating on specific concerns of moms with infants and very young children, but much of the advice in this book applied to me as well (a full-time, work-from-home mom of a teenager with a young adult also living at home). It's a good antidote to the Mommy Wars and encouragement to working moms, whether full-time, part-time, split-shift, or what flavor of work schedule describes yours.
Many, MANY plugs for the author's Facebook group, which came off as a bit self-serving.

[Margaret Closs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful read

The right balance of spiritual and practical advice. Easy to read, but does offer new ideas and encouragement. Thanks for filling this much needed niche!

[Lisa Blink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.5. Books always make everything sound so simple. Great tips and advice. Just probably easier said than done.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated—PG-13 (my personal opinion based on content)

*simply due to the content of the book