UTICA — During Respect Life Month, parish leaders at St. Lawrence in Utica and St. Andrew in Rochester talk about how “Walking With Moms in Need,” a ministry initiative to support pregnant and new mothers, accompanies women in crisis pregnancies.
“It pains me deeply to think that anybody sitting next to me in the pew would think that I would judge them for where they are and the struggle that they’re in,” said Lisa Juriga, Walking with Moms in Need coordinator at St. Andrew. “I want to be the person who says, ‘I can help you.’ I want to be that person that they know they can come to.”
In the Archdiocese of Detroit, parishes are equipped not just to direct mothers to resources, but to accompany women along the way, helping them to see that they aren’t alone, said David Seitz, director of evangelical charity at St. Andrew.
“What intrigued me about this (initiative) was the ‘walking with’ part,” Seitz said. “We’re going to be more than just a referral source. We will walk with you and let you know that this parish, the Church, will welcome you with open and loving arms.”
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