Pregnant and parenting mothers have a new place to turn for Christ-centered, life-affirming help.
Saint Clare of Assisi Parish, Swedesboro, has been building a Walking with Moms in Need ministry, which is a national initiative launched by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that offers comprehensive educational, pastoral and action-oriented resources for women.
Deacon Jerry Jablonowski, who serves in Saint Clare of Assisi, explained the year-long process at the Swedesboro parish, which addressed the question: What do we do for women who choose life?
”We began organizing in the early fall of last year; my wife, Patty, and I were overwhelmed with the beauty of it and wanted to help,” Deacon Jablonowski said. “This [ministry] struck at the heart of the parish, and there was a very generous outpouring.”
Help is on the way
This May, on Mother’s Day, the ministry was formally introduced to the parish via a bulletin announcement, which shared the ministry’s four-fold mission: to refer women in unplanned, difficult pregnancies (or those struggling to raise a child) to local pro-life centers or agencies; to provide immediate, short-term material resources such as diapers, formula and baby clothes; to provide struggling women the gift of presence, love and compassion, and to enlist the prayerful support of the parish community, keeping the women in the Prayers of the Faithful each week.
The congregation’s reaction to the new ministry was an immediate, enthusiastic “yes” and “sí” from the English- and Spanish-speaking communities. In addition to some bilingual volunteers on the ministry’s committee, for a number of people, this is the first time they are engaged in parish ministry.
“The whole parish was raised to awareness,” Deacon Jablonowski said, “and our diaper and clothing drive was overwhelmed with support. Our pastor, Father Edward Kennedy, is so supportive and says this is perfectly timed and well-needed here.”
Life-affirming assistance
“As a Catholic, as a mother, it found me at an important time in my life,” admitted Melissa Paone, a member of the Walking with Moms in Need ministry since the first planning meeting. “I lost my baby [in utero] at 19 weeks; I was looking for a way to honor him and his life. I decided to pay it forward, to help other moms who felt they had no resources or support.”
Paone’s work in the ministry honors that son, Angelo, by maintaining the group’s emergency baby supply closet known to all as Angelo’s Closet. The married mother of four children ages one month to 14 years asserted, “I value being involved, to be an example to my children that we are responsible for the life of the parish. This lifts the dignity of the whole family. We can really touch people.”
Deacon Jablonowski, who is also executive director of VITALity Catholic Healthcare Services Diocese of Camden, is a vocal advocate of the program, urging other parishes to form Walking with Moms in Need ministries, “for it is the true intersection of the Church and mothers,” he noted. “It is always important to express the pro-life position, show love, support and generosity. All it takes is a core group of people.”
Even those not formally involved with the ministry can show their support for the culture of life, the deacon added.
“There is information on the parish website, a call line staffed with volunteers and resource lists in the church for anyone to share with a woman struggling,” he said. “[The ministry] is very well-known in the parish; it would be great to get it known [throughout the Diocese of Camden] to as many people as possible.”
For more information on Walking with Moms in Need, visit stclarenj.org/walking-with-moms-in-need, or contact Deacon Jerry Jablonowski at Gerard.Jablonowski@camdendiocese.org or 856-467-0037 x 121. Visit the USCCB website at walkingwithmoms.com.
Simple Steps
How to Start Your Own Walking with Moms in Need Ministry
1. Appoint a parish leader to act as a main point of contact and coordinator.
2. Begin assembling a parish core team. The core team will meet together throughout the process and complete various tasks, including the parish inventory, assessment, and response planning and implementation.
3. Establish a parish support network. In addition to assembling a core team, establish a simple support network to continue to cultivate interest, share progress and inspire broader parish involvement.
4. Introduce Walking with Moms in Need and educate on Evangelium vitae. Use announcements to introduce the ministry to your parish community. Encourage your pastor, priests, and deacons to include this news in their weekend homily.
5. Pray for pregnant mothers in need as a parish community. Place prayer cards in the pews, and use Prayers of the Faithful during Mass.
6. Begin planning your first core team meeting. Even if your core team is not fully assembled, begin thinking about when your team can gather for the first time. Plan an agenda, and perhaps couple the meeting with a meal or Holy Hour.
Source: walkingwithmoms.com
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