Pregnancy help organizations received recognition for their “loving service and profound accompaniment” of women from the hierarchy of the U.S. Catholic Church during this year’s Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week observance.
It was the first time for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to weigh in on the week established to venerate pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and non-profit adoption agencies for their tireless support for women and families facing unplanned pregnancy.
“During Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, we celebrate the thousands of pregnancy care centers providing life-saving help to the most vulnerable group in our society: pregnant women in need,” said Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Va., Burbidge is chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
Burbidge observed that Advent was approaching in his message for Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week and the tie between women in unexpected pregnancy and the Blessed Virgin Mary “who in her hour of need found no room at the inn.”
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Heartbeat International established Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week in 2014. Throughout the week, Heartbeat, the largest network of pregnancy help organizations both globally and in the U.S., offers daily prayer devotions and special offers from its online resource store for pregnancy help organizations, thank-you video messages and a special place to submit prayer requests and praise reports. Pregnancy help workers can submit their story of pregnancy help and enter a drawing for a gift basket.
The 2024 Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week ran from November 11-15, coinciding with National Pregnancy Center Week established by Congressional resolution.
In his special video message, Burbidge noted how the roughly 2,750 pregnancy help centers across the U.S. “offer life-affirming support to pregnant and parenting women in need,” detailing various elements of the impact that pregnancy help organizations have.
“Our country’s network of pregnancy care centers and maternity homes work to ensure that no woman is left alone in her own hour of need,” he said.
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“These centers provide a spectrum of resources including baby clothes and diapers, childcare and career services, referrals to homes where pregnant and parenting moms can live for free, and many other forms of housing, food, and financial assistance,” said Burbidge. “Many pregnancy care centers also provide some medical services, including ultrasounds, prenatal and postnatal care, and referrals to hospitals for free or low-cost childbirth.”
The U.S. Bishops Conference also supports pregnancy help through its Walking with Moms in Need program, a nationwide, parish-based initiative to increase support for pregnant and parenting mothers in need.
The U.S. Bishops’ acknowledgement and celebration of pregnancy help was welcomed as Heartbeat International regularly emphasizes the importance of prayer related to pregnancy help. The pregnancy help network notes that “the emotional energy given by those who work in the pregnancy help movement is extreme. They give of themselves daily,” and encourages prayer for spiritual nourishment of those who serve in pregnancy help.
“Their loving service and profound accompaniment continue far beyond the birth of the child, with mothers reporting that their pregnancy care center ‘never let them go,’” Burbidge said. “We commend pregnancy help centers for their faithful love of Christ in serving vulnerable mothers.”
Click HERE for more information on Heartbeat International’s Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
