Walking with Moms in Need
On March 25, 2020, the Church celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the papal encyclical Evangelium vitae (the Gospel of Life). This anniversary provided a wonderful opportunity for the Church to assess, expand, and communicate resources for pregnant moms and families in need. This program is called Walking with Moms in Need. In building a culture of life, the intention of Walking with Moms in Need is to increase our outreach to pregnant and parenting women facing difficulties. The Pandemic hit in 2020 so this program was put on hold.
As we all know Proposal 3 was passed in last November’s election. This amendment to the Michigan Constitution created a new unlimited and unregulated right to abortion in our state as well as repealing dozens of state laws, including laws unrelated to abortion.
The Archdiocese of Detroit is asking each Family in the Diocese to participate in this program. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has provided each Family with an Action Guide to assist each parish in participating in Walking with Moms in Need. While each parish will participate in its own unique way, this Action Guide provides a basic framework and structure that can be adapted to each local Church’s needs.
A Core Team has been formed for our Mother of Divine Love Family. Since May is the month of Mother’s Day, we will be providing updates on the work we are doing. The Core Team has developed a resource guide which provides access to referral agencies to help pregnant moms and families in need.
The first action step is asking each parish’s Intercessory Prayer Team to pray for pregnant moms and families in need so that abortion does not become an option.
The second action step is to hold a meeting for all parishes in the Mother of Divine Love Family to recruit volunteers to assist pregnant moms and families. A future meeting date will be announced soon. Some tasks that volunteers could help with are as follows:
- Mentoring moms
- Assist with phone calls from pregnant moms or families in need.
- Assist with application for needed services, i.e. Medicaid, food stamps, etc.
- Donation of a meal to a mom/family that has just had a new baby.
- Transportation to medical appointments
The third action step is to act jointly with each parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society so that duplication of services does not occur.
Updates on Walking with Moms in Need will become a regular part of What is happening in our Mother of Divine Love Family article.