What Moms Really Want

     The second annual Momsquest dinner proved once again that mothers will gladly attend a dinner lovingly served and presented by their beloved sons. And it also proved that mothers will attend in droves.
     Mothers also revel in being seated at a circular table with their sons close by, and as the evening proceeds, it becomes pretty obvious that moms simply love being with their sons. They also truly enjoy the tributes presented to specific mothers, but in the name of all mothers. This is what mothers want, and this is what mothers get at Momsquest.
     Milton Conquest is the second largest Conquest group in North America, and under the able guidance of Marvin Duarte and Carl Pinto, the Momsquest dinner was a great success, with over 125 people in attendance.
     There were fathers and grandfathers chopping lettuce for the salads, and heating up the pasta dishes which had been so generously donated by Julia Hanna and the Kids Culinary Community. There were also Conquest boys setting tables and escorting mothers to their assigned seats, and lots of toddlers running around and bouncing off people like ballbearings in a pin ball machine.
     Father Todd Arsenault L.C. said Grace, and delivered an inspiring prayer for all mothers, and then the  group got down to some serious eating. There were large salads, and a choice of meat or vegetarian pasta, and then three large cakes were cut up and served to the appreciative crowd. There was more than enough food to go around and leftovers were packed up and taken home. This was hardly the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, but you could still feel the presence of Jesus, and his love for all mothers and sons, and the magic of a family gathering around good and simple food, shared in appreciation and love.
     For many, the highlight of the evening is the slide show presented by Marvin Duarte. Complete with accompanying music, the slides give a wonderful overview of the year's activities and allow the mothers to search for their sons participating in the various activities. "That's me Mom!" shouted one boy, and "There I am!" pointed another. The scope of the activities soon becomes apparent, and it was hard to believe that we had accomplished so many things over the year, still with Camp Brebeuf and the Day Retreat to go. There were also excellent video presentations which the audience seemed to enjoy thoroughly.
    Ryan Pinto and Joseph Mendonca delivered lovely tributes to their adoring mothers, in the name of all the boys present, and when Joseph maintained that all mothers deserved at least one day off per year, a loud ovation erupted, especially from the moms. And at one point during Ryan's speech, there was nary a dry eye in the house (especially among the mothers).
     And then the boys brought their mothers a red rose, and a Mother's Day card which they had constructed at Conquest, and we all sat back to watch the glow on the mothers' faces.
     What I find so refreshing about Mother's Day is the simplicity of the demands mothers make on us all. They do not want lavish gifts or giant feasts or grand tributes. They like experiences which many would call 'corny.' They are in search of love and appreciation, and of course well deserved respect. None of this is material, and it is all very inexpensive.
     Momsquest provided all that and more.
     One famous proverb states that a child's only true classroom is in its mother's heart, and I have no doubt whatsoever that there was a great deal of learning going on around those tables at Momsquest.
     Long live Conquest! Long live Mother's Day!