St. Therese of Lisieux is remembered for saying, after her death, she will let fall a shower of roses from heaven. Sometimes those roses come in the form of baby gifts.
Little Flower Showers at Columbus St. Patrick Church, an outreach of the parish’s Respect Life group, serves mothers in crisis pregnancy situations by organizing and hosting baby showers. The ministry showers mothers with Christ’s love, encouraging and supporting them on the journey of motherhood.
St. Therese is known for her “Little Way” to sainthood, doing ordinary tasks with extraordinary love. A baby shower is a little way to love and support mothers in need.
Michele Hansen, a St. Patrick parishioner, started the ministry years ago. Wei Kozlowski, a member of the parish for about five years, has taken the torch and currently serves as coordinator for the ministry.
Its mission is to bring the mother, baby and all involved in the baby shower closer to God.
“We help the moms and provide them not only with the shower gifts. Shower gifts are part of it but mostly the prayer, the support, letting them know that somebody cares about their baby, cares about them,” Kozlowski said.
“I believe that what I get out of it is equal, if not more, than what we put in.”
The ministry holds several Little Flower baby showers each year at St. Patrick. The parish’s Aquinas Hall can accommodate about eight tables and approximately 30 people for a shower.
This year, four showers were held and another is currently in the works.
Kozlowski leads a team of faithful women who oversee various subcommittees.
“This is probably one of the most important ministries that I have been involved in just because it allows me to make that personal connection with the mommy, and in the process, I make personal connections with the parishioners in St. Pat’s,” Kozlowski said.
Volunteers offer financial support, which is used to purchase and wrap baby shower gifts. Some assist with decorating and food. Aquinas Hall is decorated for each shower, and food and desserts are offered for guests.
Other volunteers lead the event by serving as an emcee, guiding activities and creating a fun and faith-filled experience for the mothers.
Others attend showers and join in prayer for the mothers and their babies.
The ministry also offers transportation for mothers to and from the baby showers. Some of the expectant mothers do not have a car.
And when the baby shower ends, the connection formed with the mothers can extend long afterward. Little Flower Showers ministry prays that, as each mother is showered, friendships bloom.
Showers are typically held near the end of a mother’s pregnancy.
They connect with mothers in crisis pregnancies through the Columbus Women’s Care Center and Mommies Matter, an organization that journeys with single mothers through their pregnancies, the birth of their child and beyond.
Counselors assisting mothers in crisis pregnancy situations identify those who they consider most in need of a final form of support. They put them in touch with Little Flower Showers ministry.
“We didn’t get to see the front part of it, which I would think it’s probably the most difficult to convince mommy to keep their baby and working with them through the process,” Kozlowski acknowledged. “We get to see the end part of it, and that’s just an awesome feeling.”
Beth Cheeseman, who volunteers in the ministry at St. Patrick and has been a parishioner since the 1980s, contacts mothers before their shower. She is a familiar face when the mothers come to St. Patrick for the first time, ensuring they don’t come without knowing anyone.
“I just can’t say it enough how fulfilling it is when you speak to these moms or I check in with them over the phone – when they give us their information from the Women’s Care Center or Mommies Matter – just to see how they’re doing, make sure that the pregnancy is going OK,” she said.
“I was still in contact with one of our moms that we had a shower for back in January, send me pictures of the baby when it was newly born. We get to share in that ministry, and it’s just amazing to see the difference.”
Cheeseman meets with mothers before the shower and learns their needs and wants. She creates a baby shower registry accordingly.
Gifts for a shower can range from between $500 and $1,000. A stroller or car seat can cost as much as $200. Each mother receives a “big ticket item,” Cheeseman explained.
“The last two that we did, they were crying by the end of the shower because they couldn’t believe the support that we had given them,” she said.
Donations come from individuals who purchase gifts from the registry. The list is included in the parish bulletin and a Quick Response, or QR, code is also available to scan and buy gifts.
The Little Flower Showers social media committee works on posting on Facebook to reach individuals outside of the parish.
The ministry also receives financial support from the parish’s Respect Life ministry.
A priest is present at every shower to give the mother a special blessing. Even if a mother is not Catholic, she is blessed by a priest.
Little Flower Showers ministry recently hosted a combined baby shower for two mothers who did not speak English. The Spanish-speaking mothers were showered together so they had a person to communicate with.
Father Juan Macias attended the shower to translate for the two women.
“He looked at me and said, ‘You know, guys normally don’t come to baby showers,’ but he did it,” Cheeseman recalled.
“It’s amazing how, when you’re reaching out in the community and in our community at St. Patrick’s, you can get a guy to come to it, you can get a priest to come to the baby shower and stay the whole time. It was such a blessing because he was able to sit at the table with them and translate the entire time.”
Little Flower Showers are typically held on Saturday afternoons at the church. Most showers conclude around 4:30 p.m. and mothers are invited to stay for the parish’s 5 p.m. Mass.
“I gave them a tour around the church and was showing them our parish and our beautiful church, and invited them if they ever wanted to come back,” Cheeseman said. “They are more than welcome to join me, and I would even come and pick them up if they need it – if she needed a ride.”
“They’re very, very comfortable and because of the connection we made, they’re very comfortable coming back to us, sharing with us their struggles, and we’ll be able to help them that way as well,” Kozlowski noted.
“It’s not a one-time done deal. It’s establishing that connection and being able to assist those moms in their need in the future, too.”
To get involved or participate in Little Flower Showers ministry, e-mail Kozlowski at wei@sinokoz.com.
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