Parish-based outreach walks with moms in need

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Faced with homelessness and mental health challenges, a young Maryland woman didn’t know where to turn when she found herself pregnant and alone over the summer.

Not knowing what else to do, the woman’s grandmother reached out to a parishioner of St. Stephen. Through the intervention of one of the Bradshaw parish’s lay leaders, a staff member at the parish ultimately connected the grandmother with the Gabriel Network at St. Mark in Fallston – part of a regional organization that helps pregnant mothers with material and other resources.

“They got her the help she desperately needed,” said Rachel Muneses, team leader of the Walking with Moms in Need outreach at St. Stephen and Holy Spirit in Joppa, a new parish-based pro-life initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Within a couple weeks, she found housing and got the medication she needed for her mental health issues. It showed that there are resources out there. People just need to be made aware of them.”

Walking with Moms in Need was launched in 2020 by the U.S. bishops on the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s encyclical, “The Gospel of Life.” Its goal is not to turn parishes into pregnancy centers, but to raise awareness within parishes and the wider community about the already-existing ­resources available to pregnant women and their families.

Erin Younkins, director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Institute for Evangelization, said 45 parishes in the Baltimore archdiocese are already active in Walking with Moms in Need.

“That’s a big deal, considering that our average number of active respect life committees usually hovers somewhere between 30 and 40,” Younkins said.

Walking with Moms in Need is an idea that people of all backgrounds can support, Younkins added.

“A lot of things in the respect life movement are controversial – and they’re difficult even within our own church because of differences in philosophy, ideology and beliefs,” Younkins said. “Walking with Moms in Need is not about legislation and it’s not about protesting or advocacy or apologetics. It’s about accompanying women who have chosen life.”

At St. Stephen and Holy Spirit, Muneses said Walking with Moms in Need is helping parishioners see how they play a role in supporting pregnant women. The parishes conduct diaper drives, baby showers and work with other churches to stock a food pantry.

“By creating a culture where life is valued and where pregnancy isn’t seen as a crisis but as a blessing, then that will naturally eliminate the option of abortion,” she said.

Melanie Kwiatkowski, a parishioner involved in Walking with Moms in Need at St. Ursula in Parkville, said her faith community focuses on supporting the Women’s Care Center in Baltimore County. Parishioners recently donated 900 books to the pregnancy center, helping families build up home libraries.

“Meeting mothers and families where they are and offering the support they need to flourish is a vital part of not only ending abortion, but of sharing the love of Christ with others,” Kwiatkowski said.

Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishop’s Committee on Pro-life Activities, has supported the national Walking with Moms in Need initiative and expressed optimism it will continue to grow.

Visit walkingwithmoms.com for more information

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

Note: This article was updated on Jan. 28, 2022 to clarify that the St. Mark parish referenced is in Fallston.

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