LAURINBURG — Last month, St. Mary Catholic Church’s pro-life team had a baby shower for a nearby crisis pregnancy center, collecting items to support struggling mothers. Having a May baby shower for pregnancy support centers is a common practice for Catholics, who honor Mary‘s motherhood, especially in the month of May.

St. Mary’s chose to collect baby shower items for Agape Pregnancy Support in Fayetteville. Agape is located in a former abortion clinic, and it’s ultrasound room is the very room where most of the abortions were performed at that location. Agape Pregancy Support helps women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy, usually considering abortion, and supports them through pregnancy and birth for up to 5 years. Volunteers provide ultrasounds, attend hospital births with mothers who have no one to go with them, and give out diapers, formula, food, clothing, breast pumps, car seats, and many other needed items.

St. Mary’s pro-life team, with the help of some of the Knights of Columbus, delivered the parish’s baby shower items to Agape Pregnancy Support on Thursday, June 10. In total, St. Mary’s delivered 2,334 diapers, 3,554 wipes, a $600 cash donation from the Knights of Columbus and the St. Mary’s Ladies Guild, 3 car seats, 1 walker, 1 breast pump, 6 baby blankets, formula, bottles, a hamper, and more.

The pro-life team toured the pregnancy support center, and listened to stories of how volunteers have experienced miracles as they have prayerfully worked to help mothers in desperate need. Often these mothers have extremely limited financial resources, and many receive pressure from family, friends, and the child’s father to abort at one of the two abortion clinics in Fayetteville.

“We are interested in forming a multi-faith pregnancy support organization in Scotland County to emulate some of what Agape Center does in Fayetteville,” said John Clinton, one of the Knights of Columbus who helped with the baby shower items, and is a part of the pro-life team at St. Mary.

“We are working toward starting a center in Scotland County that is similar in some respects to Agape in Fayetteville,” said Mary Carmichael, the pro-life coordinator for St. Mary’s. “As many have noted, being pro-life means more than merely being against abortion. It’s fairly easy to march in protest against abortion, or to pray outside of an abortion clinic, and those are important things to do. But it’s a lot harder to actually meet a woman considering abortion, or who is otherwise in crisis, and say to her: ‘What do you need? Let me help you. Together we will walk through this difficult journey.’ That’s what we need everywhere, and that’s what we need in Scotland County.”

St. Mary’s pro-life team is looking for volunteers to help with pro-life activities in Scotland County, especially volunteers willing to attend training in how to counsel local mothers in crisis pregnancy. And if you or someone you know is in a crisis pregnancy and needs resources, reach out to St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 910-276-4468 or to Agape Pregnancy Support at 910-485-0055.