MERRILLVILLE – An informational meeting of Walking with Moms In Need held in September offered attendees the opportunity to share ideas to grow the initiative as well as provide details on events happening during Respect Life Month.
Walking with Moms in Need is a nationwide, parish-based initiative to increase support for pregnant and parenting mothers in need. It works to ensure that any woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, or parenting in difficult circumstances, can turn to her local Catholic Church and be connected with the resources she needs.
“We want to help them find resources they need and accompany them during a time of sometimes trial and sometimes crisis – to be a shoulder to learn on and a listening ear,” said Father Richard Holy, director of the Office of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Gary.
As the meeting began, Pat Tuttle, a member of St. Paul in Valparaiso, affirmed to everyone that the My Guide has received some updates and is available for parishes or anyone who may want copies. The booklet, entitled My Guide, has a list of contact information of places that provide assistance to new and expecting moms.
“It started out as a one page pregnancy resource but it ended up being a lot more,” said Tuttle. “We’ve given out over 40,000 of these in the area and the first few pages are all pregnancy resources.”
“This is a great resource to use,” added Clark Gloyeske, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Chesterton, complimenting the efforts of Tuttle and others who developed the guide. “As you know with Walking with Moms in Need, one of the things you do is inventory – what’s out there? That’s one of the first steps, and this is a great tool and has a lot of that work done.”
Gloyeske went on to remind those gathered that they would like to continue getting the booklet into places throughout the diocese such as police stations, fire departments, food pantries, libraries and county offices.
The effort to make people aware of Walking With Moms in Need groups also continues to grow at the parish level. Recalling the last meeting the group held in the spring, Gloyeske repeated words spoken by Tuttle at that time, “Every parishioner should know where to refer a pregnant woman to or who to refer a pregnant woman to that needs help.”
Rosanne Kouris of the Office of Missionary Discipleship and Evangelization shared that she is helping to get cards printed out with contact information for Walking With Moms in Need that can be easily passed out or picked up, while Jo Brown of St. Michael the Archangel stated she has reached out to surrounding parishes including St. Francis Xavier in Lake Station and St. Joseph the Worker in Gary to see if they would like a sign that makes it known the parish can help women.
“To get these signs up where it's needed most is vital to this mission,” Brown said.
In keeping with a routine of having a guest speaker at each meeting, Patti Kraynak was invited to talk about Answer for Pregnancy Aid, a non profit organization in Hobart. She began by reading its mission outloud, “To provide loving emotional & material support for parents facing crisis pregnancies and for those who struggle to provide the most basic of necessities for their babies.”
She went on to give a tour of the organization's location on Colonial Drive using a visual PowerPoint presentation, showing how each room in their building is organized while sharing some facts and statistics about the challenges parents face.
According to Kraynak, new moms spend an average of $70 a week on formula, and babies typically remain on formula for close to a year.
“When I speak at places, people say to me, ‘Why don’t they breastfeed?’ but there’s a lot of them that can’t, they are just not able to. Even a breast pump is $50 and there are other things that you have to have to go along with that,” she said.
Kraynak also stated that most babies also go through about six to eight diapers a day which equals 2,500 in the first year and most are in diapers for the first two years of their life. The diapers add another $70-$80 a month on top of the formula, she estimated.
“Sixty percent of women who reported a history of abortion would have preferred to give birth if they had received more emotional support or financial security,” Kraynak said. “That’s what makes us important.”
“There’s no simple solution,” she added. “However, by coming together as a community and supporting organizations like ours that provide essential assistance, we can help ensure that more babies have access to nutrition and that will help them thrive, and that abortion minded women will reconsider if they know that places like ours exist.”
Father Holy, pastor of St. Edward in Lowell, provided information about Respect Life Month from a national and local perspective. He communicated that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website respectlife.org provides materials and resources for free download, and select printed materials are available to order. The poster and prayer card created this year displays a monstrance and the words “I came so that they might have life.” (John 10:10)
Father Holy also mentioned the Respect Life Novena encouraged by the USCCB with suggested dates for the prayer during the month of October. The USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities sends the novena by email annually Oct. 22-30, but it can be prayed at any time.
Father Holy then reviewed the details on some local events occurring within the diocese including a bingo fundraising event, candlelight vigil, prayer life chains and pro-life banquets.
“What we do, and what we try to do, does have results,” he said.
Pointing to statistics released by the Indiana Department of Health, Father Holy shared that 1,911 fewer babies were aborted in Indiana in the second quarter of 2024 when compared to the second quarter of 2023. This is the lowest quarterly level in Indiana since before Roe vs. Wade in 1973.
“One of the things we have talked about is just the challenge to get the word out,” said Father Holy. “We can have information at the parish and have signs, but what I’m talking about is reaching the people who are not necessarily inside the parish but who are outside the parish.”
For more information on Walking With Moms in Need, visit walkingwithmoms.com or prolifegary.org.
Respect Life Events:
Oct. 5 – Fourth Anniversary Family Rosary for Life, 10 a.m., Diocese of Gary Pastoral Center, Merrillville. For more information, contact Mark Gabrione at mgab15lu@gmail.com.
Oct. 6 – Life Chain Valparaiso, from 2 to 3 pm on the corner of Roosevelt and Lincolnway. Free Celebrate Life picnic at Kirchhoff Park immediately following. RTLNWI.org.
Life Chain Chesterton at St. Patrick on Indian Boundary Road West of 49 from 2-3 p.m. They also have a Celebration of Life picnic afterwards. For more information, visit RTLNWI.org
Life Chain Michigan City at St Stanislaus Resale Shop, corner of Franklin St and Ripley Street from 1:30 for refreshments, prayer from 2-3 p.m. RTLNWI.org.
Life Chain Lake County from 1-3 p.m. For information, visit lakeloveslife.org.
Oct. 7 – Living Scriptural Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration, 7 p.m., St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville. The service is sponsored by the Respect Life Ministry.
Oct. 9 – Second Annual Luxury Bingo, 6 p.m., Halls of St. George, Schererville. Event benefits programs and services of the Women's Care Center in Merrillville. Email victoria@supportwcc.org.
Oct. 12 – Right to Life of Northwest Indiana, Fall Banquet, Chesterton. For more information, rtlnwi.org/nwi/events.
Oct. 15 – National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Candlelight Vigil, 6:45 p.m., Calumet Funeral Chapel, Merrillville. Free program. To RSVP, email info@miscarriedbaby.com.
Caption: Father Richard Holy director of the Office of Prolife Activities, addresses those gathered for the meeting of Walking with Moms in Need on Sept. 9 at the Pastoral Center in Merrillville. Those involved with the nationwide, parish-based initiative to increase support for pregnant and parenting mothers, came together to discuss how to expand the program as well as share those events coming up during Respect Life Month. (Erin Ciszczon photo)