Walking With Moms in Need

Walking With Moms in Need

This past May for Mother’s Day, a local florist donated flowers worth a few hundred dollars to be given to the women of St. Thomas and Risen Lord parishes in West Virginia. The florist recognized the good works being done by Father Thien Duc Nguyen SVD and his parishioners.

The florist is not the only one. With the encouragement of Most Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, St. Thomas parish in Gassaway, W.Vir., has established a Walking with Moms in Need chapter. 

Walking with Moms in Need is a nationwide, parish-based initiative to assist mothers and pregnant women who need support.

At St. Thomas, hospital administrator Kari Friend and two nurses volunteered to oversee the ministry. Friend, her husband Fred and one of their granddaughters became Catholic on Holy Saturday this year.

They keep formula, diapers, baby clothes and toys in stock to give. Already, Walking with Moms in Need has held a shower for two expectant mothers. They also helped to celebrate an infant baptism.

The parish holds regular fundraising events, such as yard sales, to financially support their outreach ministries. Catholic Charities West Virginia also has donated goods, including baby food, for Walking with Moms in Need.

“We are a tiny community, yet we care for the needy,” said Father Thien Duc Nguyen SVD, pastor of St. Thomas and Risen Lord in Maysel, W.Vir.

“As a pastor, I am so glad that parishioners of St. Thomas really support all the ministries we have—the food pantry, the backpack program, utility assistance and Walking with Moms in Need. They put their faith into action.”

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