Walking with Moms in Need, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is spreading throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The ministry’s goal is to support moms in obtaining their basic needs.

“It is a call from the bishops to each parish to do this,” said Chris Tonnis, chairperson of the Walking with Moms chapter for the Mary Queen of Heaven Family of Parishes. “We’re serving the women right in our neighborhood. It’s meant for each parish to be known as a place to go and for every parishioner to know how to serve the moms in need.”

“A parish has to evaluate what is available to women in their neighborhood and to determine [the gap],” continued Tonnis. “What we have are these families who live month to month, and they just need a little extra help.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish first brought the ministry to Cincinnati, when then Father (now Bishop) Earl Fernandes was pastor. Tonnis, a parishioner of St. James the Greater, White Oak, brought it to her parish family after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

“I thought, this is a watershed moment,” Tonnis said. “We have to do something different. I found the USCCB’s Walking with Moms in Need [ministry], then emailed [Father Jim Wedig, our pastor] … . He said, ‘Yes, we need to do this, and not in two years. We need to do this now.’”

The parish ministry consists of a volunteer group dedicated to donating every month. Among its larger initiatives is a baby shower for a referred mom, three of which are typically held annually in a parish center.

“We contact the mom, meet with her, get to know her a little bit, and set up a baby registry,” said Gina Schrand, head of the Mary Queen of Heaven baby shower team. “We shower her with gifts, love, support, blessings and prayers, and all kinds of goodness.”

The ministry matches invitations and decorations to the mom’s chosen baby shower theme, and all parishioners are invited, along with the mom’s family and friends. A separate parish ministry sponsors the shower by providing food, drinks, and gifts.

“Lots of gifts. Lots of diapers,” said Schrand. “The Knights  of  Columbus  have  blessed  each  shower

with a huge assortment of diapers for these moms. [Parishioners donate] their baking talents, so we always have beautiful cupcakes, a cake, or cookies.”

A priest usually attends the shower to give the family a blessing, and the mom receives a memento photo.

“We ask the moms if we may stay in touch after the shower,” said Schrand. “So far, all of them have said ‘yes.’ We touch base throughout the year to see how they are doing and send a birthday card to the baby when they turn one year old.”

When the St. Vincent de Paul Society learned of the parish’s Walking with Moms ministry, we began collaborating, Tonnis said.

“They frequently run into families who have young children [and need help], so we [established] a diaper care package team. When St. Vincent de Paul contacts us, one of my team members … buys a case of diapers and wipes. We’ve served about 40 neighbors now in the last year and a half,” she said.

The ministry also invites parishioners and parish schools to participate in spiritual adoption every four years.

“A year of spiritual adoption is when people spiritually adopt an unborn baby,” said Tonnis. “It could be somebody in the past, future, or now. [They] pray for them for nine months. We [included them in our] petitions at church … collected the names of all the babies [over 600 were adopted] and placed them in a basket in front of Mary.”

“I would like to say, ‘Thank you’ to St. Ignatius of Loyola [Parish],” said Schrand. “Their Walking with Moms in Need group [was our model]. They were such a tremendous help to us in getting our chapter started.”

“It just brings me joy to give someone the basic needs of life, and then some, of course,” said Schrand. “Every single one of the moms has been overwhelmed and filled with appreciation and gratitude for what we have offered them. It’s truly heartwarming to see that.” ✣

To learn more about Walking with Moms in need, visit: resources.catholicaoc.org/walkingwithmoms.

This article appeared in the October 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.