Motherhood is a tough job. It’s a job that gets tougher when a pregnancy is unexpected or creates a challenging circumstance.
Would you know what to say, what to do, how to help a woman who is faced with the challenges of becoming a mother, unexpectedly? There are parishes in the Diocese of Youngstown that have the answer and it could be coming to a parish near you.
The Youngstown Diocese Council of Catholic Women (YDCCW) recently gathered for their annual meeting, at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Louisville. The day included a presentation on Walking With Moms in Need. David Schmidt, diocesan director of pro-life, marriage and family ministry joined the group of ladies to explain the program.
Walking with Moms in Need, the brainchild of Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, the archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, is a free program that can be simply implemented on the parish level. It is the bridge for parishes to locate and understand what help is available to local women who are pregnant or parenting in challenging circumstances. Additionally, Walking with Moms In Need identifies what types of supports are missing on the local level and determines how their church can be part of strengthening the local support network for mothers in need.
“Walking with Mom’s in Need is a process through which Catholic parishes and communities walk in the shoes of local pregnant and parenting women in need,” Schmidt explained. “Everyone should know how to help moms in difficult circumstances. That doesn’t mean the handful of people who are on the Respect Life committee, or the people who are on the Social Justice committee. No. Everyone should know how to help moms in difficult circumstances. This is the bread and butter of Moms in Need. In many ways, Walking With Moms in Need is a way to keep this out in front of our fellow parishioners.”
Schmidt continued that a woman who finds herself in need is probably not going to knock on the rectory door. She might however, talk to a neighbor, she might talk to a friend, she might talk to a co-worker, and one of these people might be a diocesan parishioner.
“We’re not trying to turn Catholic parishes into pregnancy centers,” Schmidt continued. “We are blessed in the Diocese of Youngstown. Each county in the Diocese has a pregnancy center, with the exception of Portage County. We want to work with them and support them. Where there are few local resources, we can create our own based on the gifts of the parish community.”
Schmidt pointed out that it does not make sense to approach offering Moms in Need on a parish-by-parish basis. Instead, Schmidt would like to see the program offered on a regional basis. Right now, Walking With Moms in Need is a pilot program at St. Joseph Parish in Maximo, where Father G. David Weikart is pastor. Father Weikart also happens to be pastor of Regina Coeli Parish and St. Joseph Parish, both in Alliance, as well as St. Ann Parish in Sebring, adding three more parishes where the program is offered.
At each of Father Weikart’s parishes, a Baby Basket is available. Information specifically geared toward women in an unwanted pregnancy situation, is rotated in and out of the basket.
In addition to Schmidt, other presenters for the day-long meeting included Mary Jane Malich, who spoke about the Pro-Life Ballot Initiative for the November Ballot and Humility of Mary Sr. Toby Lardie, one of the founding members of the collaboration in the Youngstown Diocese to end Human Trafficking. The day also included Eucharistic Liturgy celebrated by Rev. Father Joseph Witmer, YDCCW spiritual advisor and concelebrant Rev. Father Thomas Cebula, Stark deanery spiritual advisor.
