Newsletter

September 2026

 
 

Respect Life Month: Mary, Mother of Life

October is Respect Life Month. The 2026 Respect Life Month resources have been developed to assist you in helping parishioners understand and value the gift of human life and become engaged with building a culture that cherishes every human life.


FREE resources are available to help your parish, school, or ministry inspire Catholics in your local community.


Materials include:

  • Poster
  • Reflection
  • Prayer Card
  • Graphics
  • and more!
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You can use the provided materials to help build a culture of life in your parish.

 

In the News:

Gulf Coast mom hosts baby supplies drive in daughter’s memory

Will Polston

WLOX

September 3, 2026

"PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) — A Gulf Coast mother is hosting a baby supplies drive to make sure no child has to go without.


Betty Camille, nicknamed Cam, was 26 days old when she died from SIDS.


Erin Sanford, Cam’s mother, is in the second year of a baby supplies drive. She has placed collection bins across the Gulf Coast for donations.


'Something just told me one day that she doesn’t want me just sitting in bed being sad,' Sanford said.


The donations will help families get basic items for their children, including diapers, wipes and formula.


'Just imagine if everyone got one pack of diapers or everybody got one pack of wipes. That’d be insane. We have collection sites all over, so you can drop it off whenever,' Sanford said.


Sanford was a single mother who had just lost a child and felt alone. Her faith and desire to help others kept her going.



This year, Sanford is partnering with two organizations for the supply drive: Promiss Pregnancy Care Center and Walking with Moms in Need to highlight resources available to parents across the coast.


'You can see on their face, their eyes are lighting up. To see that and witness it in another person, especially a mom you know is potentially stressed in so many ways, it’s a beautiful experience and that’s what fuels us more and more,' said Rachel Ryan with Walking with Moms in Need.


When others stepped up for Sanford, she chose to return the favor.


'To be able to spread love and light in such a dark time, maybe that will give a woman hope,' Sanford said.


Acceptable items for donation include diapers and pull-ups, baby wipes, sippy cups, baby bibs, baby plates and utensils, pacifiers and monetary donations. Donated items must be new."

 
 

Milledgeville WWMIN helps moms stay on track

The Georgia Bulletin

September 18, 2026

"MILLEDGEVILLE—The Walking with Moms in Need ministry of Sacred Heart Church in Milledgeville held a PlayDate+Resource Fair in the spring for moms and children.


Ministry volunteers held the Saturday event in a park offering fun activities for children including interacting with therapy dogs, playground time and arts and crafts. Health agencies, educational programs, food pantries, housing programs and other ministry partners participated to display their resources in a trade show-type setting.


Campus Catholics and other college students from Georgia College & State University lent helping hands to ministry leaders to staff the event.


'In helping our moms look at their future and the potential for themselves, many get back on track,' said co-organizer Mary Short.


Then-pastor Father Bryan Kuhr greeted all the families and offered a prayer of blessing.

Moms received tote bags for their swag from visiting agency representatives at the tables, and volunteers held a gift basket drawing.


The Milledgeville ministry, with the support of current pastor Father Paul Nacey, presented gift cards to moms of school age children to assist with the purchase of school supplies this fall. Families with children in pre-K through grade 5 served by WWMIN received a $30 gift card for each student."

 
 

‘You were never meant to carry this alone’: Experts say helping postpartum moms is a pro-life issue

Katie Yoder

OSV News

September 5, 2026

"(OSV News) — Nicole Kristensen still remembers facing difficult births and struggling postpartum as a mom. Today, she draws from her experience to help other women before, during and after giving birth.


'Even though I struggled, having a community was the biggest thing, and that is a huge part of what I’m trying to achieve these days as a doula,' said the Catholic doula and coach, who serves communities in New York and Connecticut.


Kristensen, owner of Holystic Maternity Care, and other postpartum experts and Catholic leaders spoke with OSV News about the Church’s role in postpartum support and walking with new mothers who are struggling...


These experts agreed that the Church and Catholics have a responsibility to be involved in postpartum support as a pro-life issue. The Church is already present there, they said, but Catholics can do more. Many of them emphasized the importance of parish involvement.


While these experts came from different backgrounds and ministries, they wanted new moms who are struggling to know they are not alone.


'The Church belongs in the area of postpartum support because Jesus commands us to care for the most vulnerable, and postpartum women and their babies fit that description,' said Kat Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities...


These experts recognized the Church’s involvement in postpartum support. They pointed to Catholic hospitals, pregnancy centers and doulas. They also named ministries such as Elizabeth Ministry International, a Catholic apostolate that supports women and families through the joys and challenges of the childbearing years, and Walking with Moms in Need, a parish-based initiative by the U.S. bishops that serves vulnerable pregnant and parenting women.


'While Walking with Moms is mostly geared towards low-income women, the resources in the inventory and the support offered by the parish could be offered to any mother who is struggling,' Talalas with the U.S. bishops said...


Parishes with Walking with Moms in Need ministries take active roles in supporting mothers postpartum...


These experts, however, said the Church can do more. Many encouraged parishes to take an active role. They recommended parishes start Walking with Moms in Need and Elizabeth Ministry chapters, or expand them if they already exist..."

Prayer Intention

May mothers receive help and support as they pursue their educational goals.



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.

 
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USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

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