The 25th anniversary of Evangelium Vitae has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to assess, expand, and effectively communicate the resources we can offer to pregnant moms and families in need. Inspired by St. John Paul II’s call to evaluate our efforts in building a culture of life, the intention of Walking with Moms in Need (WWMIN), a national USCCB Initiative, is to increase the Church’s outreach to pregnant and parenting women in need.
These women in need are in our parishes and neighborhoods, but in desperation, they are turning to other places for help. While many pregnancy resources are appropriately coordinated at the diocesan or regional level, moms in need are often best reached at the local level.
A new course to help you help moms in need
To assist our Families of Parishes in responding to this need, we have prepared a course to help you launch the WWMIN ministry at your parish. The Walking With Moms in Need Orientation for Parish Leaders is available to you now.
We want to reassure any woman facing a challenging pregnancy that the Church is a nurturing community, where she can receive help, through extensive social service resources dedicated to meet the needs of people in crisis. Completing the course will equip you to become that nurturing community. Through the course, you’ll learn to assess the pastoral and practical assistance your parish currently provides to pregnant moms and families in need and identify how your parish’s particular gifts and talents might strengthen these further.
Integrate care for moms with all of Evangelical Charity ministries
As we Unleash the Gospel in southeast Michigan, we are guided by the Holy Spirit to strengthen our compassionate care through this Walking With Moms in Need initiative, a partnership between the Archdiocese of Detroit and Catholic Charities of southeast Michigan. In Unleash the Gospel Archbishop Vigneron comments: “The Holy Spirit was clear through Synod 16 that ‘families today face unprecedented challenges, and for this reason our local Church must commit a major portion of her resources to supporting families and helping them live out their call to holiness.’” (Unleash the Gospel, Guidepost 7).
In other words, when we reject efforts in support of abortion, we must simultaneously commit ourselves to creating and supporting clear and realistic alternatives that serve to protect and benefit both mother and child. It is critical that any pregnant woman considering abortion knows that she has better options available and, most importantly, that she knows the love of Christ as shared through the witness borne by you, me, and all Catholics.”
In your Family of Parishes, come together to participate in something that can make a profound difference for women in your community! WWMIN is a perfect first step to Evangelical Charity and through it, you can discover new ways to Unleash the Gospel.
You can also take advantage of a significant training course on the Eight Lenses of Evangelical Charity Ministry. The ministries highlighted in this course include Care, Community Outreach, Mental Health, Pro-Life, Fraternal Organizations and others within your family of parishes, ministry peers coming together to form your response to walk with Moms in need. These courses are available to you for free, to help serve those in your Family of Parishes.
We hope you will prayerfully consider joining parishes across our Archdiocese in this important ongoing work of mercy, to unleash the Gospel of life with support and concern for both mother and child. Click here to sign up for the course now.
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Kathleen Wilson, Archdiocese of Detroit Pro-Life Ministry and Project Rachel Coordinator.
