Walking with Moms in Need is a great opportunity to live the “Five Finger Gospel”

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was fond of living and preaching a very simple Gospel. When people would ask her to explain the Gospel, she would hold out her hand (or take theirs) and speak the following words—one word for each of the five fingers—“You. Did. It. To. Me.” She would go on to say that you have two hands and two feet. Use them to do God’s work. This is a subtle but profound reminder that we will be judged by how we treat the least of our brothers and sisters—those most in need. Those who love and serve everyone as Jesus did, he calls sheep. Those that do not, he calls goats (Matt. 25:31-46).

Pope Francis has repeatedly taught that we need to reach out to the margins of society and show those in need the love of Christ and give them help and hope as we walk with them on their journey. One demographic that often finds themselves marginalized is pregnant women in need. In Evangelium Vitae (EV), St. John Paul II praises the “brave mothers who devote themselves to their own family without reserve,” who are “ready to make any effort, to face any sacrifice” to pass on the best of themselves to their child but unfortunately, “these heroic women do not always find support in the modern world around them” (EV 86).

In order to give these women the support they need and deserve, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has introduced an exciting initiative that will enable parishes to live the Five Finger Gospel. It is called Walking with Moms in Need (WWMIN)—A Year of Service. This “Year of Service” was originally set to launch in the Fargo Diocese in March of 2020 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Evangelium Vitae, but COVID-19 concerns caused Bishop Folda to postpone it until this year. It will now begin on March 19 and will mark three important events related to this initiative. The Solemnity of St. Joseph is March 19, and in this Year of St. Joseph we especially remember how he walked with Mary and trusted in God even though their difficult situation appeared scandalous to their community. March 25 is the anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s landmark encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). It is also the Solemnity of the Annunciation, which began Mary’s pregnancy as an unmarried mother who was in need.

The WWMIN initiative has five phases. Prayer for these mothers in need and those who will provide vital resources is an essential part of all five phases. Phase 1 (March 2021) involves announcing the year of service, identifying a point person and building a core team of individuals in those parishes to support the year of service.

During Phase 2 (May 2021), the parish will begin its parish inventory process. This is one of the most important aspects of WWMIN. Each parish will identify a wide variety of assets such as pregnancy-related resources, food, housing, counseling, employment, childcare, and education as well as the help specifically available from the local parish. The goal is to have a list of services and resources readily available to better assist these moms in need. Catholic Charities North Dakota, who is partnering with the Diocese of Fargo on this effort, will provide an initial list of resources available statewide to the parishes and offer ongoing help through their “Pregnancy, Parenting, and Adoption Services” program.

In Phase 3 (Sept. 2021), the inventory results will be shared, plans will be created on the parish’s response, and a date will be set for a parish-wide meeting. Phase 4 (Jan. 2022) is where the parish will announce its plan at the parish-wide meeting, commit to an active response, and begin implementing their plan to serve moms in need. Phase 5 (March 2022) completes the first year of service and includes a parish-wide celebration of the church’s effort as marking the Feast of St. Joseph, the Annunciation and the anniversary of Evangelium Vitae. The parish then continues to implement its plan of praying for and actively serving mothers in need.

My 3-year-old son loves to give grandma and his cousins “high 5s” when he sees them. Many times after doing so he says (in his less-than-perfect English) “I’m so excited!” There is good reason to be “so excited” about the Walking with Moms in Need initiative because five fingers can do so much. They can summarize the Gospel, help those in need, count the phases of the WWMIN initiative, and give encouragement and a joyful greeting to the people we meet.

Let’s choose to get out of our comfort zone and use our five fingers to live the Gospel through service and see Christ in all those we meet—especially those most in need. “You. Did. It. To. Me.” Let’s be sheep, not goats.