Feeling helplessly alone at a time of personal crisis can be overwhelming. A woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant faces many challenges.
What should normally be experienced as a joyful new beginning is for some a time of immense fear, anxiety, and confusion. She may fear losing her job or housing, seeing her career or educational goals being stripped away, being abandoned by the father of the child, experiencing judgment from her friends and family, and more.
As Catholics, we naturally feel compelled by our faith in Jesus Christ to reach out to our sisters who may be facing any number or all of these challenges. If we take a moment to place ourselves in their situation, we must ask ourselves, where would we turn to find help?
In the current post-Roe era, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, the Catholic Church is often portrayed as merely anti-abortion, offering no tangible help. Are we known for providing concrete assistance to those facing such challenges?
The good news is that help is often readily available from many compassionate and dedicated people and organizations. But are we effective at communicating that help directly to women in desperate situations? Do our parishioners know the places or resources to recommend if they encounter a pregnant or parenting woman in need of help? Could a mother in need turn to your parish and find compassionate support and accompaniment?
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and our diocese have joined together in a nationwide effort called Walking with Moms in Need. For this initiative, the USCCB has provided educational, pastoral, prayer, and action-oriented resources to help parishes come alongside and accompany pregnant and parenting mothers facing difficulties.
Walking with Moms in Need is a response to Pope Francis’ repeated challenge to go to the margins and bring hope and help to those in need. Every community is different, and every parish is unique. Each parish and mission community is best positioned to identify the local pregnancy help resources that are currently available and to recognize potential gaps that may need to be addressed. This parish ministry is not intended to take the place of local pregnancy help centers, but rather to supplement what they are able to provide.
The USCCB has provided resources and tools that guide designated parish volunteers through a step-by-step process to inventory local resources, assess the results and identify gaps, and plan and implement a parish-based response. The resources include homily help, suggested prayers, bulletin inserts, pulpit announcements, parish-based activities, outreach suggestions, and more.
These resources are designed for ease of use at the parish level, and all the materials are available for FREE download online (in English and Spanish) by visiting www.WalkingWithMoms.com/parish-resources.
You can also learn more about this initiative at www.WalkingWithMoms.com.