MADISON — The Diocese of Madison’s Walking with Moms in Need (WWMIN) core team will host three virtual training sessions on Wednesday, Feb. 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 6, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.; and Thursday, March 24, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
All sessions will cover the same content. Volunteers from each parish are asked to attend one training.
Each training will include an opportunity for Q&A.
WWMIN was launched by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2020 as a way for Catholic parishes to walk alongside vulnerable pregnant and parenting women in need.
The program doesn’t ask parishes to become counselors, community centers, or crisis pregnancy centers.
Instead, it gives Catholic parishes the tools to become reliable connectors to local resources and partners in filling service gaps.
“Walking with Moms in Need is a beautiful way for parishes to support vulnerable women,” said Susanna Herro, a volunteer who’s played a key role in bringing the program to the Diocese of Madison. “We hope all parishes will join our efforts.”
The trainings will provide an overview of the WWMIN program and review its survey tool, which each parish is asked to complete.
The core WWMIN team will use information from these surveys to create a diocesan website that includes both parish-based resources and those offered through secular groups such as non-profits and government agencies.
Participating parishes will be invited to future brainstorming sessions to find ways for the diocese to meet service gaps in the community.
More than 15 percent of parishes in the Diocese of Madison are already on board.
Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP at wwminmadison@gmail.com
Links to the trainings will be sent via email.
The group plans to make a taped version of the training available at a future date.