It has been nearly two years since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched Walking With Moms in Need (WWMIN).
This initiative is an incredible way to witness how the Holy Spirit works to build a culture of life in our parishes and communities. The WWMIN message of the Church’s prayerful and compassionate service and support for mothers continues to resonate with those inside and outside the Church.
This parish-based ministry helps parishioners learn about the needs of pregnant and parenting moms in our communities. It enables parishioners to know these mothers, listen to them and help them obtain the necessities of life for themselves and their children, including medical and material care as well as emotional and spiritual support.
WWMIN connects moms to community resources available to help them live out the Gospel of life.
Now is a great time to help move WWMIN from being a toddler among parish ministries to a loving, functioning adult and to encourage more parishes to engage in this ministry. It’s a way parishes can respond to Pope Francis’ challenge to be “islands of mercy in a sea of indifference.”
As we approach Mother’s Day, let me raise up pro-life pregnancy centers where women in crisis are welcomed with compassionate counseling and, through ultrasound technology often supplied by the Knights of Columbus, can glimpse the humanity of their unborn children. Such moms usually elect to bring their babies to term because they have seen their features and heard their heartbeats.
For those who have participated in abortions and then find themselves in emotional and spiritual turmoil, the Church can help. Project Rachel and other pioneering post-abortion support ministries provide healing and spiritual renewal to women and couples. In these ways and more, the Church seeks to bring light, healing and hope, thus building a culture of life.
Soon, the U.S. Supreme Court will be handing down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This case gives the high court an opportunity to undo the grave injustice it did in 1973 when, in Roe v. Wade, it decided that a whole class of human beings, the unborn, are outside the protection of the law and thus “non-persons.” Since that tragic decision, more than 60 million innocent lives have been taken.
As Catholics, justice is both a matter of faith and reason. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that a law is “an ordinance of reason for the common good.” In other words, laws should be made to benefit everyone. Every human being, at every stage of life and in every circumstance, should be respected, treated with cared and protected.
If the Supreme Court does overturn Roe, in whole or in part, what should Catholics be prepared to do? First, we must be a clear and united voice that says our society and laws can and must protect and care for both women and their children.
We also must redouble our efforts to accompany women and couples who are facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies by offering them loving and compassionate care through ministries such as Walking With Moms in Need.
This is our time to continue creating a culture of life in Ohio. Let us move forward with hope, courage and compassion. We need to remember that God’s work must surely be our own.
WWMIN doesn’t require heavy lifting, just patience to help our toddler among parish ministries learn to walk with more conviction. As the coordinator, I’m here to help.
To learn more about WWMIN, to help your parish commit to this ministry or connect with parishes already developing the ministry, contact me at socmailbox@columbuscatholic.org.