In the News:

Women of LDCCW continue ‘Walking with Moms in Need’

Southern Nebraska Register

June 24, 2025

"After Judy Weston was made president-elect of the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (LDCCW) in 2022, she started asking the Holy Spirit for guidance regarding the project she should choose for her president’s project.

When a new president is installed for the LDCCW, she is given the opportunity to choose a project supporting a specific need in the Catholic Church.

Weston happened to visit Wellspring Pregnancy + Health Center in Hastings and heard the Holy Spirit’s promptings. She said her eyes were opened to the incredible work that pregnancy-help organizations across the diocese do to support women considering abortion and helping moms with under-supported pregnancies get the resources and support they need.

The overturning of Roe vs Wade that year made the decision easy.

'I realized the needs of the pregnancy centers were on the high-priority list,' Weston said. She worked with Wellspring Director Mary Hall–both Hall and Weston are members of St. Michael Parish in Hastings–and got a list of nine pregnancy-help organizations in the diocese to learn about their needs. These were then communicated to Parish Councils of Catholic Women PCCWs throughout the diocese.

The goal was well timed with an initiative launched by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to help parishes better support and accompany pregnant and parenting women. The bishops introduced 'Walking with Moms in Need' with the belief that 'everyone should know how to help moms in difficult circumstances.'

Weston set an ambitious goal of giving $15,000 to pregnancy-help organizations throughout the diocese over her two-year term, which ends in 2026. She estimates that so far, approximately $5,000 has been raised for the pregnancy-help organizations in the diocese.

Weston said she has seen much joy in supporting pregnancy-help organizations in their pro-life mission. Many pregnancy-help organizations provide many resources for free to clients with limited funds, so donations have allowed many centers to be able to check off items on wish lists. PCCWs have also provided spiritual bouquets for many centers to cover them in prayer.

... St. Michael Parish in Hastings, Weston’s home parish, also set to be creative in how to best serve the President’s Project. A dollar amount was chosen, but a new idea of using the funds from the local salad luncheon was suggested. This resulted in more than 58 hours of volunteer service for the salad luncheon, and the event hit a goal of $1,400...

Wellspring used its funds to buy furniture for its new facility, which opened in early April.

'It was a huge blessing to have this money to buy new furniture for the new space,' Hall said.

Weston was overjoyed to see the final touches on the center.

'A welcoming atmosphere can help women who are in need of love and support,' she said.

'It is a huge blessing to be a small part in such a loving venture when walking with moms in need.'"

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Diocese of San Bernardino: St. Paul is ready to ‘walk with moms’

Marianne Napoles

Chino Valley Champion

June 21, 2025

"A pregnancy resource center will open next weekend at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church’s ministry center at 3683 Chino Ave. in the same building that once housed unwed mothers at the former Hillview Acres in 2005.

Hillview Acres, a home for abused and neglected youth, was purchased by St. Paul the Apostle in Chino Hills in 2011 to house religious education, preschool programs, and a retreat center.

Mary’s Manger Pregnancy Resource Center, under the Walking with Moms in Need initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), will support any woman who finds herself in a crisis pregnancy.

Co-director Kelly Schlegel of St. Paul the Apostle said there are few resources in the Chino Valley and having a facility in Chino will help fill the void. 'We want to provide women with a bastion of hope, comfort, and companionship,' Mrs. Schlegel said. 'We affectionately call it Mary’s Manger after Mary who had a little baby in a humble manger.'

... Mrs. Schlegel and Mrs. Shannon were busy last Saturday morning preparing for the upcoming community-wide open house while their husbands assembled baby furniture and hung pictures.

Champion photo by Marianne Napoles

... 'I am so happy we can continue their dream,' Mrs. Schlegel said. 'I’m passionate about moms having a choice to have their baby instead of a choice to just have an abortion.'

Women who visit the center will be able to take a pregnancy test, receive counseling, and will be provided with an ultrasound at an office in Chino.

She will be set up with medical care, financial assistance, food assistance, and baby items such as a car seat, crib, stroller, diapers, clothing, and any other resources she needs through the generosity of parishioners, the community, and partnerships with Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She will also receive a crocheted baby layette from the Warm Up St. Paul ministry.

Classes will be offered in life skills, parenting, boundary setting, interview training, cooking on a budget, finances, and resume training, with many taught by parishioners with knowledge in these areas.

A baby shower held in November is credited with stocking most of the pregnancy resource center. Mrs. Shannon said the parish and community are incredibly generous with donations.

Ten moms who needed immediate help found out about Mary’s Manger through the advertising of the baby shower at the Masses and were able to receive the resources they needed.

Mr. Shannon said St. Paul the Apostle is the only church with a pregnancy center in the West End Vicariate. 'Opening the pregnancy center is a watershed moment for St. Paul the Apostle,' he said."

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2025 “People of Life” Awards Recognize the Work of Pro-Life Heroes

USCCB

Office of Public Affairs

August 12, 2025

The People of Life award recognizes Catholics who have answered the call outlined by Saint John Paul II in The Gospel of Life by dedicating themselves to pro-life activities and promoting respect for the dignity of the human person.

"WASHINGTON - Four dedicated pro-life advocates were honored on August 11 at the 2025 People of Life awards during the Diocesan Pro-Life Leadership Conference in Arlington, Virginia. This year's honorees are Valerie Washington, Judy Haag, and the late Rita and Mike Marker. Approximately 100 diocesan Catholic pro-life leaders and guests attended the private awards dinner, including Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington.

The People of Life award recognizes Catholics who have answered the call outlined by Saint John Paul II in The Gospel of Life (Evangelium vitae, 1995) by dedicating themselves to pro-life activities and promoting respect for the dignity of the human person. It is bestowed in honor of their significant and longtime contributions to the culture of life.

For the past 25 years, Valerie Washington has led the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC) organization as Executive Director—guiding its mission, shaping its programs, and nurturing partnerships that have strengthened the Church’s commitment to justice and evangelization, with a strong embrace of the pro-life cause. Through Valerie’s leadership, the NBCC has organized national congresses that gather thousands of Black Catholics to celebrate faith, confront challenges, and envision a Church renewed in spirit and mission, while ensuring that the rich faith traditions of Black Catholics are supported and sustained. Valerie has been deeply impactful in supporting and highlighting a culture of life within the Black Catholic community and is a source of inspiration in her compassionate, persistent witness to the Gospel of Life.

Judy Haag has spent the last 30 years as a long-term care nurse and dedicated pro-life advocate. She served as chairperson of the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (NUDCCW) Reverence for Life Committee for several years, where she assisted in public education and advocacy on abortion, and was named the NUDCCW “Woman of the Year” in 2017. Judy has co-chaired her local 40 Days for Life campaign since its inception over 15 years ago; leads parish participation in commemorating the Roe v. Wade anniversary on January 22; and facilitates participation in the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) March for Life. Judy has also devoted herself to mentoring youth at her parish and sharing Catholic Social Teaching, forming the next generation of faithful pro-life leaders.

In the early 1980s, seeing the need for public action against euthanasia and assisted suicide, Rita and Mike Marker co-founded the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force. This groundbreaking organization later become the Patients Rights Council. To aid in their advocacy, Rita obtained a law degree while working and raising their family, ultimately authoring the book “Deadly Compassion” and taking on speaking engagements while Mike ran the organization’s operations. Their tireless efforts helped many dioceses, state Catholic conferences, and the USCCB, and were instrumental in shaping the existing coalition on assisted suicide. Mike Marker passed away in 2021 and Rita Marker passed away in 2023, leaving a legacy of leadership, commitment, and grit.

The awardees join 43 other People of Life award recipients since the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities established the award in 2007. To learn more about People of Life, the bishops’ pro-life action campaign in the United States, please visit: https://www.usccb.org/prolife/people-life."