Walking with Moms in Need

Celebrates 5th Anniversary

Bishop Daniel E. Thomas

Chairman, USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities

This year, beginning on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, we celebrate both the thirtieth anniversary of Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life), St. John Paul II’s pro-life encyclical, and the fifth anniversary of Walking with Moms in Need, which was inspired by that landmark encyclical.

Since the launch of Walking with Moms in Need, Catholics in dioceses and parishes across the country have put the Gospel of Life into action, uniting in a shared mission to surround pregnant and parenting mothers in need with loving support and personal accompaniment. Heroic volunteers have stepped forward to make our parishes places where a mother can be connected with meaningful resources and assistance and, most importantly, know that she and her baby are not alone.

The Annunciation reminds us that our Lord Jesus came to earth as a vulnerable child in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Catholic faith calls us to value every mother and child in the name of Christ. Our faith compels us to be active, making the needs of others our own. Every parish has something unique that God is calling them to contribute to the Church’s efforts to transform our society into a culture of life and civilization of love.

Please join me in praying that Walking with Moms in Need will continue to become embedded in the very fabric of every parish and diocese as a natural expression of Jesus’s call to serve the most vulnerable. May every mother know that she can turn to her local Catholic parish for help in her time of need.

Visit walkingwithmoms.com to find out how your parish can walk with moms in need in your community.

In the News:

Diocese of Rockford: For Moms in Need, There’s Help at St. John Neumann Parish

Margarita Mendoza

The Observer

January 9, 2025

"ST. CHARLES—In the Fox River Valley area, mothers looking for spiritual and material help can find these and a sense of hope at St. John Neumann Parish, here.

Thanks to the Walking with Moms in Need ministry, mothers are supported during their pregnancy and beyond.

In almost two years of the Walking with Moms in Need ministry, the St. John Neumann community has helped 'around 60 moms,' says Susana Morones, the parish Service Outreach Coordinator and Respect Life Coordinator. The program currently has the capacity to help 40 mothers.

'Our first goal is to walk with them, to let them know that they are not alone, and that we as [the] Catholic Church are here to take care of, and to care about them,' Morones said...

Therese Stahl, Director of the Life and Family Evangelization Office, says, 'The community of St. John Neumann is embracing mothers in crisis in an inspiring way … The parish is bringing the Gospel of life to all.'

'Our dream for all parishes in the diocese is for a discernment of the needs of mothers and families in each community and how each parish can walk radically with these parents.'

When a mother contacts the parish for assistance, she first receives a personalized baby basket to welcome a little girl or boy. These provide the essentials, such as clothes, diapers, shampoo, and 'everything to welcome the new baby,' Morones says. Also, 'we incorporate different ministries from our parish—a rosary from the Rosary Ministry, a baby blanket from our Neumann Needlers,' she explains.

After their welcome, mother and child are enrolled for two years in the program to receive whatever help they may need...

Susana Morones frequently asks the Walking with Moms mothers how the parish can help them. The ministry helps pay rent and bills.

It also provides another type of aid: spiritual aid.

Last fall, some mothers asked for their children to be baptized. Since they were Spanish speakers, St. Rita of Cascia Parish in Aurora, led by parochial administrator Father Juan Ayala, opened their doors to help.

Word spread, and before long, others wanted baptism for their nephews, nieces and relatives. After the families prepared for baptism, Father Alexander Suárez, parochial vicar, baptized 16 children on Nov. 2, 2024. St. John Neumann sponsored the celebration and provided cakes. 'Everything was a pouring of blessings for these families,' Morones said...

'They want to come back to the Church again and bring the child to the faith,' she says.

Every mother and child in the program receives care and compassion, but one testimony has stuck with Morones. A woman told her, 'If it wouldn’t be for you my daughter wouldn’t be alive,' because her family had wanted her to have an abortion.

That quote sums up why the Walking with Moms program accepts everyone. 'We are here for them. We don’t ask questions, we show them who we are, and God does the rest,' Morones concludes."

Healthy moms, healthy babies, healthy outcomes

State funding for Alternatives to Abortion bolsters work of pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes

Jennifer Brinker

St. Louis Review

February 7, 2025

"Offering alternatives to abortion is more than helping a woman through the immediate decision to choose life for her child—it’s about supporting the mother and child for success in life, said Kathy Fowler, CEO of Good Shepherd Children and Family Services.

'It’s about respecting life and offering women in a crisis situation options that are dignified and supportive,' she said. 'Every life is important from conception until natural death, but in valuing life, we value the experience of healthy births and proper health care and resources. So when someone makes that decision (to choose life) they are able to make that dignified walk of life, and we are part of that walk as well.'

Good Shepherd Children and Family Services, a ministry of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, is among dozens of organizations that receive support from Missouri’s Alternatives to Abortion program, which provides funding to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and other alternatives-to-abortion agencies.

Photos by Jacob Wiegand

These organizations help pregnant and parenting women make life-affirming decisions for their babies and themselves. The one-on-one approach provides a support network and helps them overcome challenges...

Established in 2007, the Alternatives to Abortion program provides services and counseling to women at or below 185% of the federal poverty level and assists women in carrying their unborn child to term, caring for their child or placing the child for adoption...

...The state’s support for alternatives to abortion mirrors a key part of the archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate’s mission to walk with pregnant and parenting mothers, director Mary Varni said.

'We at the Respect Life Apostolate are always grateful when elected officials prioritize offering tangible assistance to pregnant women and their preborn children,' she said. 'Alternatives to Abortion funds do just that, offering mothers an authentic choice for life with a variety of resources and support.'

The apostolate supports Walking with Moms St. Louis, a network that centralizes local Catholic and pro-life social service agencies throughout the archdiocese that help mothers, couples and families with unexpected pregnancies. It is part of the national Walking with Moms in Need initiative started by the U.S. bishops to provide parishes with a framework to inventory local resources, identify gaps in services and implement a parish response based on their findings.

Prayer Intention

May The Gospel of Life spark widespread zeal for serving expectant mothers facing difficult circumstances.



Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be...

Full Prayer Guide

Prayer Cards Available

Our Prayer for Pregnant Mothers is available in English and Spanish for free download. It can also be ordered as a beautiful prayer card.

USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

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