Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • October 25, 2024 9 Walking with Moms in Need is a Pro-Life Ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops BY MARGARET MILLER Director of Walking with Moms in Need What is Walking with Moms in Need? Our purpose is to o er support, empowerment and assistance to women facing unplanned pregnan- cies and to support all moms in need. This focus is in alignment with Pope Francis’ vision to transform our parishes into “islands of mercy in a sea of indi erence” by raising Catholic awareness of the great struggle involved with abortion and the hurt that follows. Our e orts in the Diocese began in April of 2022 with the completion of a Resource Guide to the ser- vices already in place. Parallel to this, we began taking the message to each parish through work- shops. “Our goal is to help parishes identify unpre- pared, expectant mothers who may not have the duciary resources and supportive love they need to experience the joy of motherhood,” said the Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III. “Our culture claims to o er women a so-called choice, but ultimately abandons mothers to make tragic and painful decisions alone.” We must lead the way here in Mississippi in showing an alterna- tive. It is necessary to become courageously ‘pro-women.’ Radical solidarity “refers to some- thing more than a few sporadic acts of generosity,” said Pope Francis. Solidarity compels us to come alongside vulnerable mothers in profound friend- ships, compassion, and support for both them and their children. It requires us to address the funda- mental challenges that lead an expectant mother to believe she is unable to welcome the child God has entrusted to her. We must do all that we can to pro- vide mothers, children, and families with the support they need to flourish. We must honestly ask our- selves: What radical, out-of-the-ordinary actions have I taken? With that, we found that Walking with Moms in Need , with great assistance from the USCCB, began moving forward. Along with hosting workshops in our parishes, we contacted our priests and deacons, the St. Vincent De Paul Society and members of our Knights of Columbus Council and Ladies Auxiliary as partners in our e orts to serve mothers and their children right here at ground zero -- The Catholic Diocese of Biloxi. We received permission and great enthusiasm from our Bishop, Louis Kihneman III. Statistics surrounding abortion in America are staggering, nearly 1,000,000 babies are aborted every year! That is one in every five pregnancies! Over half of the women who obtain an abortion identify as Christians, yet many are left with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. -- 49% of abortion patients live below the poverty line. -- 59% of abortions are from a pill. -- The 2020 birth rate for teen moms, age 15-17 years in Mississippi was the highest in the nation. -- The infant mortality rate in Mississippi is the highest in the country. -- 54.8% of the births in Mississippi were to unmarried women, the highest in the county. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sancti ed you.” Jeremiah 1:15 So Where Do We Go From Here? In 2023, WWMIN developed a brochure to help talk about the what, the why, and the how of this ministry. We wanted to get the word out to our churches, its people and our parishes on how they can help with our mission. We are so grateful to a retired physician who has visited our local OB/GYN doctors, nurses and staff with our brochures. Also, a retired school nurse who has volunteered her time and has talked to area high schools’ nurses, teachers and staff. Over 5,000 of these brochures have already been sent out and we plan to distribute more. Early on, WWMIN hosted a luncheon for all of the Deacon wives to familiarize them with our min- istry, partnered with the Women’s Resource Center as a sponsor at their annual “Biscuits for Babies,” attended National Right to Life and MS Pro-Life Conferences , attended the Florida Right to Life Conference and many other e orts to spread the word about this much needed ministry blooming in the Diocese of Biloxi. One of the most amazing experiences at the Eucharistic Conference was an opportunity to spend time with two very talented women, Anne and Chelsea, from the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities . These two women have been very involved in Washington, D.C., host- ing parish webinars, printing respect life materials, answering questions, sharing personal experiences as well as posting monthly newsletters, prayer ses- sions, action of the month and action alerts for the public to contact Congress and government leaders. All of the above can be reached by each parish using their website and hosting a workshop. WWMIN is a nationwide parish-based initiative to increase support of pregnant and parenting moth- ers in need. It works to ensure that any woman, who finds herself pregnant or parenting in difficult cir- cumstances, can turn to her local Catholic Church and be connected with the resources she needs. Volunteers “Walk with Moms” throughout the moth- erhood journey, offering them authentic Christian friendships and ongoing support. For example, two weeks ago I received a phone call from Lauren. She was crying so much that I could barely understand her words. She explained that she was 27 weeks pregnant and in a wheelchair with ttwo other children needing her care. I asked her what she needed most that day, hoping that I could be of immediate help. Her answer says it all ... “I need a friend.” WWMIN was able, that minute, to be just that -- a friend. Thanks to our volunteers she will have someone to “Walk with Her” in the last months of her pregnancy, accompany her to the hos- pital and stay with her as she has her baby. It didn’t cost anyone anything. This is how important this ministry has become in our diocese. Since receiving her initial call, we have been able to assist her with many things including helping with power bills, telephone bills, food, rent, diapers and formula. We also put her in touch with our many resources and contacts to get her on the right track again. In the month of July 2024, we were able to help 46 women, babies and children, in part, due to fund- ing e orts at our participating parishes. Two of our moms are expecting twins and need carseats, dia- pers, wipes, formula, cribs, baby shampoo, strollers and our friendship and love. The really big news this year is the gift of a loca- tion where we are able to organize and distribute donated supplies to our mothers. The Old Convent at St. Alphonsus in Ocean Springs is a 3,500 square foot building that has been monumental for our work. Assistance to rehab the building has come from many directions, including the Knights of Columbus Council, the KC Auxiliary, our WWMIN volunteers and our very own Guardian Angels. SEE MOMS IN NEED, PAGE 10