The Moms’ Group at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Goshen hosted its fifth annual baby shower for Mary on Saturday, March 22. Theresa Gerwels, a parishioner and co-coordinator of the fundraiser, welcomed approximately 70 attendees (including children) and told Today’s Catholic that t he idea to host a baby shower for Mary came from a blog that one of the members read. The blogger shared that her own baby shower made her think of moms in need, so she began hosting a shower in Mary’s honor. Photos by Denise FedorowAttendees of the baby shower held in honor of Mary at St. John the Evangelist Church pose on Saturday, March 22. This was the fifth annual shower, held close to the feast of the Annunciation in honor of Mary’s fiat. Women from the area are invited to bring gifts that are donated to local pro-life organizations. The Moms’ Group leader at the time, Amanda Woodiel, decided to host the shower around the feast of the Annunciation on March 25 to honor Mary’s fiat and to celebrate all the women in the community who say “yes” to life. The recipients of the donated gifts this year include RETA (Reason Enough to Act) Pregnancy Clinic & Family Resources, Women’s Care Center, and Holy Family Catholic Adoption Agency. Representatives from each of those organizations were invited to attend the shower and share with attendees the services their organizations provide. Representatives from two parish pro-life apostolates – Holy Innocents Pro-Life Action Group and Walking with Moms in Need – were also invited to speak. Claire Tarala of St. John’s Walking with Moms in Need group shared that her organization provides resources for women in need. They’ve prepared business cards that list all the resources in the area for expectant mothers and make those available for anyone to have so they can hand them out to someone in need. Attendees at the baby shower for Mary, held at St. John the Evangelist Church in Goshen on Saturday, March 22, enjoy brunch-style refreshments in between presentations by representatives of organizations receiving the gifts from the shower. Andrea Verteramo of Holy Family Catholic Adoption Agency shared her personal testimony of being an adopted child because her 21-year-old birth mother gave her up “out of love,” Verteramo said. Her testimony mentioned all the times her birth mother and her adopted mother said “yes.” Verteramo said she eventually reached out to her birth mother to thank her for giving her up for adoption. Her story led her to her work at Holy Family Catholic Adoption Agency. Kelly Brien, a maternal specialist, and Aubrey Parks, a community health nurse, spoke to the attendees about services offered at RETA Pregnancy Clinic & Family Resources, which offers pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, prenatal care, abortion pill reversal, and post-abortion counseling. The clinic also offers several classes, including parenting classes. They have a men’s ministry and a new indoor playground with child care for when parents are taking classes. They have a clothes closet with baby and toddler items and women’s hygiene products. Jane Hoover, representing Holy Innocents Pro-Life Group at St. John, spoke about the organization that is comprised of members from all four Elkhart County parishes, including St. John, St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Vincent de Paul in Elkhart, and St. Mary of the Annunciation in Bristol. Holy Innocents pays for tombstones for the remains of babies buried at St. Vincent Cemetery. Kelly Brien, left, a maternal specialist with RETA Pregnancy Clinic and Family Resources, and Aubrey Parks, a community health nurse, share about the services they provide during the baby shower for Mary. Last, Katie Ganger, an ultrasound technician for Women’s Care Center in Elkhart, shared that her organization was begun in South Bend by a professor of the University of Notre Dame and now they serve 600 women a day in 37 centers across 12 states. The Women’s Care Center offers pregnancy support and care from cradle to kindergarten. She said the goal is to get the women back in the door one week at a time by being loving and non-judgmental. Like RETA, they offer post-abortion counseling services, a variety of classes, including Mommy and Me Music classes, and a store where clients can shop for new items with coupons earned. They recently began a Strong Fathers Program. Ganger shared about a young woman who came to the center to have an ultrasound. She was determined to have an abortion, but after seeing the ultrasound a couple of times and not being judged, she decided to keep her twin babies. All the speakers shared they are looking for more volunteers and thanked the women for their generosity with the donations that were brought for Mary’s baby shower and for past support. Attendees also participated in a couple of activities, including decorating bibs to be donated and testing their knowledge of the Blessed Mother. To learn more about the participating organizations, visit holyfamilyadoption.org, womenscarecenter.org, and retaforlife.com. The post Moms’ Group in Goshen Hosts Baby Shower for Mary appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less