“Walking with Moms” effort helps parishes aid pregnant women in need

In an effort to further help pregnant women in need across the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the Walking with Moms in Need program was established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops pro-life committee for parishes.
 
“The goal of Walking with Moms in Need is to form a small team of people to evaluate and compile all local and parish resources, ministries and organizations available to help women in need,” explained Noelle Garcia, coordinator of the Respect Life Ministry for the archdiocese.
 
“Everything from helping find affordable prenatal care and ultrasounds to counseling to helping with material needs. The team encourages their pastor and parish to pray for pregnant women and be aware of services offered to pregnant women so they can refer as needed for help.”
 
Garcia explained it only takes two or three parishioners to form a team. It is envisioned to be a year of service for pregnant women in parishes that will help make the community aware of what resources are available for pregnant women from the Catholic Church in Oklahoma.
 
“This will help women know they are loved and cared for in the Church and also will show them we are here as pro-life people to help them get on their feet and find what they need to parent and choose life,” she added.
 
According to 2014 statistics, women who chose abortion are poor, young and unmarried: 75 percent were low income, 60 percent were in their 20s and 86 percent were unmarried.
 
There are many ways the program can be utilized by parishes – through the bulletin, website, social media, announcements at Mass or being present with available resources at parish-wide events. 
 
Garcia and her husband David McHugh coordinate the office of Respect Life Ministry and will serve as a resource for parish teams to help connect them to ministries they may not be aware of in their community. The parish teams also will be able to let them know of needs not being met or ministries and opportunities they had not yet discovered.
 
“Don’t be afraid of beginning this program! The primary purpose is to be a resource and help advertise resources for women to get the help they need. Encouraging parishioners to be knowledgeable about these resources and to pray for these women and families will help make our whole parish pro-life and welcome those struggling to choose life,” McHugh said. 
 
Jolene Schonchin is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

Anyone interested in forming a Walking with Moms team for their parish, can go online to www.walkingwithmoms.com or www.archokc.org/respectlife. Both Spanish and English resources available.