Diocese of Orange

Parish and Pregnancy Center Partnership

This inspiring video from the Diocese of Orange highlights how parish Walking with Moms in Need efforts can help support the work of local pregnancy centers, offering practical support and personal accompaniment to mothers, children, and families.

In the News:

Walking With Moms in Need challenges parishes to be examples of radical love for mothers and their babies

Daniel Meloy

Detroit Catholic

October 8, 2024

"DETROIT — Being agents of the new creation means committing to a love that is grounded in fidelity, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron told parishioners gathered for the Mass for the Sanctity of Life.

The Oct. 6 celebration at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit coincided with the first Sunday of October, Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church.

Archbishop Vigneron said the Church’s call to protect human life, from womb to tomb, is rooted in love, a love that itself is rooted in fidelity, the faithfulness to commit to caring for a particular person...

Photo: Daniel Meloy

This call to a radical love of the unborn, children after they are born, and adults all the way up until their time on earth has passed, is a call that is becoming increasingly countercultural in the world, making the faithful’s response to the call all the more central to the mission of the Church, the archbishop said...

Before the final dismissal at the end of Mass, Archbishop Vigneron took the time to specifically address Respect Life Month and the Archdiocese of Detroit’s efforts to build a culture of life.

'As disciples of Jesus and citizens of the new creation, we are called to create a culture of life,' Archbishop Vigneron said. 'In our own time, this especially involves re-establishing the protections of the right to life from conception to natural death and supporting mothers in need with compassion and grace so they, too, can love their children with a love that is faithful.' ...

Carolina Aguilar-Garibay, Gospel of Life engagement coordinator in the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, spoke with Detroit Catholic about the archdiocese’s Walking With Moms in Need program, in which parishes work with community organizations to build robust support services for women facing difficult pregnancies and living situations, getting the entire parish involved in supporting life.

"When parishes really embrace Walking with Moms in Need, we see the

community gets closer. We see they are filled with joy and hope when

they see the works of mercy being done and bearing fruit."

For example, Aguilar-Garibay cited work being done at SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak) Parish in Sterling Heights, where dedicated parishioners are not only supporting a mom in need with material needs and supplies, but have rallied the entire parish to pray for the mom, who remains anonymous, and her unborn baby.

'They are starting this weekend a spiritual adoption program, a beautiful program where the parish will adopt a baby and pray for the baby for nine months, ask Joseph, Mary and Jesus to protect the life of the unborn and save them, protect him or her against abortion,' Aguilar-Garibay said.

The spiritual support parishes provide through Walking with Moms in Need cannot be overstated, Aguilar-Garibay said. While it is necessary to provide for the material, financial and practical needs for a woman facing a crisis pregnancy, the spiritual accompaniment and prayers of support are just as critical in building a culture of life based on fidelity and love.

'We know we are in a spiritual battle; as the archbishop said, we need to keep praying, keep doing all we can do,' Aguilar-Garibay said. 'We try to network with all the ministries in the parish and other organizations that are pro-life to have a stronger network to work with the moms to protect the unborn.'

Beyond just helping the mothers and their babies, Aguilar-Garibay said Walking With Moms in Need lays the groundwork for parishes to become true missionary centers that preach the Gospel of Life in their communities and become beacons of hope for all in need of God’s mercy and grace.

'When parishes really embrace Walking with Moms in Need, we see the community gets closer. We see they are filled with joy and hope when they see the works of mercy being done and bearing fruit,' Aguilar-Garibay said. 'We see parishes like SS. Cyril and Methodius meeting every month to pray for the mother and the baby they are supporting, tracking the baby’s growth, putting the mother and the baby in the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass. They don’t know their names, but they are praying for them, they are loving them. And when you have a parish dedicated to loving this person, it makes all the difference.'"

Diocese of Little Rock: Jonesboro parish program there for city's pregnant mothers

Katie Zakrzewski

Arkansas Catholic

October 3, 2024

"In March 2020, for the 25th anniversary of Evangelium vitae, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called on parishes across the country to join a nationwide effort called 'Walking with Moms in Need.'...

Two years ago, Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro answered the USCCB’s call.

Martha Bartels leads the parish’s 'Moms in Need' program with a small group of women...

'After the Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade, I got a newsletter from the diocese,' Bartels said. 'It was Respect Life Month, and there was an article in that newsletter…about building a culture of life and what we can do in a post-Roe world. … So we discussed as a group, ‘What do we want to do? How can we help?’'

Bartels and other parishioners met with pastor Msgr. Scott Friend and Catherine Phillips, director of the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Little Rock. 

'We decided we wanted to have a dedicated phone line at Blessed Sacrament for someone who found themselves unexpectedly pregnant to call,' Bartels said. 'We’re a small group, so we were worried about biting off more than we could chew, and we didn’t feel like we were educated enough — that we needed some kind of training.'

Phillips provided the group with educational resources and trainings to pursue. 

'After we did that course, we felt like we were more equipped to handle a call if we got one from someone who was in a crisis situation or unexpectedly pregnant,' Bartels said. 

Bartels and the other members of the Moms in Need program began to search across Jonesboro for available resources. They called Holy Angels Convent and were directed to the pregnancy center in Jonesboro, which was established by St. Bernards Medical Clinic. Moms in Need established connections at the pregnancy center, with the diocese and with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, as well as other organizations with similar goals. 

Sister Johanna Marie Melnyk, OSB, vice president for mission and ethics at St. Bernards Healthcare, said a parish group like Moms in Need can play a pivotal role in bridging the services gap. 

'I’ve enjoyed connecting with Blessed Sacrament’s Moms in Need group and hope we can continue to build on that,' she said. 'St. Bernards Healthcare provides a variety of services for moms, babies and families, but a parish organization can be a vital link in connecting people to the services they need. I feel that Moms in Need really wants to provide that personal connection.'

Shortly after, the group designed a brochure with a list of resources and information. They have since been working to put the word out about their hotline and the work they do, keeping an ad in the weekly parish bulletin. 

However, the program is eager to expand beyond the parish walls. With Msgr. Friend’s blessing and encouragement, Bartels said the program is getting ready to reach out to the Jonesboro community...

Donna Fincher is another member of the Moms in Need program...

Fincher led the Moms in Need program when it was originally formed, working to get women’s groups throughout the parish and surrounding community connected to their work.

Fincher said that another large reason for her involvement in the Moms in Need program was her own daughter’s unexpected pregnancy. 

'My daughter found herself in this situation suddenly at 17 years old, needing someone to go to because she found herself pregnant and she had a lot of goals for herself,' she said.

'… She was about to go to Notre Dame. She had scholarships anywhere she wanted to go. And so I know the fear that she had, I know how powerless she felt. And she did have a very supportive group of family and friends behind her. But I feel for those who don’t—for those who need someone to talk to, to just walk with, to learn the resources that our community has.'

Fincher’s daughter is now 33. She and her 16-year-old son are now doing well, thanks to the support that they received from the community. 

'A lot of things are changing in your life when you find out that you’re suddenly pregnant,' Fincher said. '… Just reaching out can mean helping people get through those first initial feelings.'

Fincher said more parishes should be involved in efforts like this. 

'I think that your parish is sometimes the first call that you’re going to make,” she said. “If you don’t have a family member or close friend, you might call your church. That’s the first thing I think of when I feel hopeless about something.'"

Diocese of San Bernardino: Walking with Moms in Need Ministry at Ontario parish takes flight

Inland Catholic Byte

October 2024

"For mother and daughter Maria and Rebecca Pimentel, promoting the sanctity of human life at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish has led to a new ministry and focus – Walking with Moms in Need...

The Pimentel’s journey to starting a WWMIN at their parish began when Maria Valadez, the Diocesan Director of Respect Life and Pastoral Care Programs, invited Maria Pimentel, the parish’s Right to Life Ministry Coordinator, and Rebecca to watch a WWMIN webinar.

'My Mom and I watched the webinar together, and we determined that incorporating WWMIN into our Right to Life Ministry would be a good next step in helping those we encountered in our ministry and parish,' Rebecca said.

The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton WWMIN ministry had its first meeting in May 2023, and members spent time developing and researching an inventory of local and online resources helpful to pregnant and/or parenting mothers.

'This past summer, things really began to pick up for the ministry,' Rebecca said. 'Two nurses joined the ministry, saying that they wished to help in specific ways, like postnatal care of a newborn while the mother sleeps, and lactation education, respectively.'

This gave Rebecca the idea of creating a branch of their ministry called the Parish Network, a network of individuals willing to personally help pregnant and/or parenting mothers in a specific way or in their area of expertise. Volunteers would not need to be part of the formal WWMIN Ministry, but simply be “on call” to help a mother who requires their specific gift in service.

Then, Maria and Rebecca received something in the mail that would stretch their ministry outside the parish. At the end of July, the Pimentels received a notice about an upcoming Women’s Health Fair in their city.

'I showed it to my mom, and we were ready to throw the notice away, when we both strongly felt that the Lord was calling our WWMIN ministry to get a booth at the fair,' Rebecca said. 'Our presence at the fair was really well-received by the organizers, those who stopped by our booth, and the other organizations that had booths there.

'One woman who stopped by, looking at our literature, said that she wished our organization had been around when she was 16 and pregnant. Another woman asked one of our members for information on abortion pill reversal. These experiences at the fair made my mom and I realize that another branch was growing within our WWMIN ministry: an Outreach ministry to bring our support to those in our greater community, beyond the parish.'

In September, the ministry had an informational booth after every Mass, attended a local Town Hall Meeting and the Ontario Community Resource Fair. The ministry gained eight new volunteers to participate in the Parish Network, two of which have been instrumental in helping a new single mother. They are currently working on translating their website to make it more accessible for Spanish speakers and connecting with leaders from other local parishes who want to join forces.

'The Lord is truly doing a lot with this ministry, and my hope is that other parishes in our diocese will incorporate WWMIN into their parishes to create a Catholic blanket of love and support for women, their children, and their families,' Rebecca said. 'When the world asks, ‘If a mother is pregnant or parenting in a difficult situation, will you help her?’ let our answer be a resounding ‘Yes!’'"

Prayer Intention

May mothers in need experience Christ's loving care as we seek to live out His Gospel of life.



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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