Juana and her boyfriend, Patricio, both 17, were shocked when the pregnancy test was positive. She was already 16 weeks with her unborn child.
“I was excited, but I was young and afraid. I had a lot of insecurities,” said Juana, from Mexico. She considered — but didn’t have — an abortion. Now, Juana is mother to a daughter, Katya, now five months old. “I’m so happy I chose life. She’s happy and healthy. She gives me so much joy.”
A few local Catholic pro-life ministries encouraged and helped Juana and Patricio, now 18, choose life for Katya, including Walking with Moms in Need. The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops started promoting the nationwide initiative in dioceses in 2019. It began in the Paterson Diocese in January 2023 with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s encouragement.
Walking with Moms in Need is a developing network of parishes in the diocese facilitated by the Respect Life Office. This outreach strengthens the culture of life in participating parishes by helping women facing unplanned pregnancies or other needs while parenting with compassionate care and practical assistance. It also partners with local resource centers and ministries.
These outreaches distribute food and baby items such as diapers and clothes to the mothers. They also provide support and referrals for prenatal care, insurance, housing, homes for pregnant women, and mental health and legal services.
Outreach members might drive the women to their appointments and offer guidance — and prayer. Often, women face judgment from their friends and family, loss of their jobs or housing, or abandonment by the father of the child.
Juana and Patricio rent a room in Paterson. Walking with Moms in Need and individual donors provided them with baby items, rent money, and room furnishings. Helping them was Solanyi Rodriguez, an assistant to the Respect Life Office, who runs the program in the diocese.
“We couldn’t have chosen life without those who walk with moms in need,” Juana said as Rodriguez translated into English.
Members of Life Advocates of New Jersey met Juana and Patricio outside a Montclair abortion clinic on the day of the appointment. Then, they were invited into a nearby Several Sources van with an ultrasound, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. The couple changed their minds and hearts when they first saw their baby and heard her heartbeat.
Rodriguez, who is also involved with Life Advocates of New Jersey, cried when hearing Juana’s story.
“To hear her say that makes it all worth it. To help moms save their babies for me is such a miracle,” Rodriguez said. She also loves to see mothers improve — securing a job, not needing government assistance, and growing in their faith. “It’s beautiful to see them rise above their lowest circumstance.”
Rodriguez will hold a Walking with Moms in Need training session for respect life leaders and coordinators on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. to noon, in St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison.
Carol McGotty of St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway helped pioneer Walking with Moms in Need in the diocese. She runs the outreach for the Rockaway-Denville Catholic Respect Life Ministry. It partners with the Respect Life Ministry’s member parishes to help women in need.
The Rockaway-Denville Walking with Moms raises funds and occasionally distributes them. It recently gave two crisis pregnancy centers $5,000 each.
“The women appreciate our help. We want them to know life is an option for their babies,” McGotty said.
Information about the Walking with Moms in Need in the Paterson Diocese.
