Parishes create network of support to show moms, 'We love you and acknowledge you'

NOVI, Mich. (OSV News) -- Shelly Pozos Lule hadn't planned for another pregnancy, but in early 2022, she found out she was expecting twins. She already had four children -- two boys and two girls -- and had recently unexpectedly become a single parent.

"I was married for 10 years. My husband went to get papers and ended up never coming back, so that left my kids and me alone," Pozos Lule told Detroit Catholic, the archdiocesan news outlet. "I (already) had my tubes tied because we had four kids -- we had two boys and two beautiful little girls, and that was the end of our journey of having kids.

"It was our time to enjoy them and love them and watch them grow and give them everything they need, and then after he left and was not able to come back, I ended up getting pregnant with twins."

Because of the emotional toll, Pozos Lule lost her job. She moved in with her mom in a small trailer home and sent her two young boys to live with their father's family in Mexico.

"I had hit rock bottom," Pozos Lule recounted.

However, a year earlier, Pozos Lule, who lived in Milford at the time, had called dozens of churches and organizations for help avoiding eviction.

One of the parishes she called was Holy Family in Novi, where she spoke to Roxanne Hundsrucker, the parish's Christian service director. Hundsrucker was able to recommend resources but couldn't provide direct help because Pozos Lule was outside of her district.

"She said, 'If you don't hear anything, give me a call back, and we will figure something out,'" Pozos Lule said. "I did figure some things out (and) a year later, I ended up having the boys, and somehow she showed up at my doorstep with a whole bunch of baby stuff -- double of everything. She stays in contact with me, makes sure I have diapers, food, gas cards -- whatever she can do for me, she does for me."

Hundsrucker has the backing of her parish to support moms like Pozos Lule, but also relies on the wealth of resources organized through Walking with Moms in Need, an initiative launched by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2020 and adopted by the Archdiocese of Detroit in partnership with Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan.

The initiative aims to equip and assist Catholic parishes and parishioners in raising awareness about resources that help pregnant and parenting moms.

Since it was launched, "Catholics in dioceses and parishes across the country have put the Gospel of Life into action, uniting in a shared mission to surround pregnant and parenting mothers in need with loving support and personal accompaniment," the U.S. bishops' pro-life chairman said in a March 18 statement to mark the initiative's fifth anniversary.

"Heroic volunteers have stepped forward to make our parishes places where a mother can be connected with meaningful resources and assistance and, most importantly, know that she and her baby are not alone," said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

He noted that the March 25 anniversary of Walking with Moms in Need coincides with the feast of the Annunciation and the 30th anniversary of "St. John Paul II's pro-life encyclical," "Evangelium Vitae" ("The Gospel of Life"), "Walking with Moms in Need which was inspired by that landmark encyclical, he added.

Kathleen Wilson, coordinator of the Archdiocese of Detroit's Gospel of Life and Project Rachel ministries, oversees the initiative within the archdiocese alongside Carolina Aguilar-Gariby, parish engagement coordinator.

Wilson envisions every Family of Parishes within the archdiocese having its own "vibrant" ministry to walk with women -- not only within the parish, but also in the surrounding communities.

"Currently, we have upwards of 50 parishes who have gone through much of the process to offer this 'ongoing work of mercy' in their parish community," Wilson wrote in an email to Detroit Catholic.

Wilson explained there is no one "right way to implement the ministry into parish life," and every parish has done it differently -- often in a way that fits their unique charism or gifts. Wilson and her team, in turn, will offer them support.

To become "formally listed as a Walking With Moms In Need parish begins with the desire to make it known that: 'We are a safe place, a people of life, we see you and are here to help -- Come walk with us!'" Wilson said.

The work Hundsrucker has done alongside co-workers, volunteers and parishioners at Holy Family is one example of how Walking with Moms in Need has borne fruit in southeast Michigan.

When the initiative was first announced, despite the lockdowns brought about by COVID-19, Hundsrucker virtually gathered anyone in the parish's circle engaged in pro-life activities or ministries for regular discussions about how to implement the vision into their parish life.

"We started with the parish inventory; we went into a year of things that we were going to do in the way of educating people and informing people of walking with moms in need in the parish," Hundsrucker told Detroit Catholic.

Beth Locricchio, a parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, is one of many people who have walked with a young married woman named Stephanie, 28, as she navigated an unexpected pregnancy while putting herself through school -- with her husband away for more than two months.

"On your own, it is so hard to do these kinds of things, but when we have the body of Christ, it's just nice to have all these different people and different resources willing to reach out and help when needed," Locricchio said. "Even after the pregnancy, they are constantly trying to find different resources for these young women. They really think outside the box. As the name suggests, 'Walking with Moms,' they want it to be personal."

"It's one thing to say that you are pro-life, but how are you helping the mothers? How are you helping the babies?" Locricchio added. "It has been such a blessing to see the inroads of so many people coming and walking alongside and putting their energy behind really being that support to these moms."

Hundsrucker continues to educate parishioners and bring them on board, and in the meantime, created a calendar where each month, the parish chose a different agency or organization to support.

The ministry also has opened doors to partnerships with pregnancy resource centers, thus strengthening them; priests have become more aware of the need to accompany pregnant and parenting women, and more people have become involved with the pro-life landscape who perhaps wouldn't otherwise.

As someone who never felt called to do sidewalk counseling, Hundsrucker said Walking With Moms in Need provides her and others with a way to take action.

For Hundsrucker, the next steps involve working as a Family of Parishes to seek out women who need them and inviting them into the parish community, where they can find resources, love and support.

"We need to walk with those women, and we can tell them, 'No, don't have an abortion,' but now we need to see what their needs are," Hundsrucker said. "A lot of times, it is financial or spiritual or emotional, and if somebody just has that person to mentor them and say, 'It is going to be OK; God is going to be with you,' that goes a long way. It is not going to be perfect, but God is going to be there, and your needs are going to be met because you are going to encounter people who are going to help you meet those needs.'"

"It would be good if we all worked together and found out what we can do to gather up more moms," Hundrucker added. "I know they are there. They are everywhere, and we have a lot more to give."