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Volunteering at a maternity home for crisis pregnancies: What to know #Catholic

A baby girl at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia. / Credit: Courtesy of Mary’s Comfort

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
After a homily inspired a group of parishioners to live out their pro-life beliefs and start a maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for mothers with crisis pregnancies, one woman shared her experience working there.Kathleen Moyer, president of the Mary’s Comfort Board of Directors and a dedicated volunteer, shared about what it is like to volunteer with the maternity home in an interview with CNA.CNA: What inspired you to volunteer at the maternity home? How does your faith play a role in your volunteer work?Moyer: My faith is at the core of my volunteerism and specifically my involvement in Mary’s Comfort. Let me explain: The call to serve others is one I take seriously as a Christian and Catholic. As for Mary’s Comfort, the initial inspiration for a small group of volunteers to take on the challenge of creating it came from my pastor at St. Bernadette, Father Don Rooney, who challenged the congregation to live out our pro-life beliefs. He noted that pregnant women in crisis — whether financial, physical, or otherwise — don’t really have a viable option to bring new life into this world. They need to know there is support out there. They need to be given a reason to hope. So, that’s how it all started. That was three years ago. I’m sometimes amazed by how far we’ve come. I want to be clear, though, that we welcome women of all backgrounds and creeds. We are fortunate to have donors and supporters from several faiths, as well as secular groups. Our volunteers are diverse, too. Many of us are Catholic, but certainly not all. I think it speaks volumes that it is an interfaith effort.What would you say to a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy? What would you say to someone considering volunteering at a maternity clinic? Here’s what I would like to say to women facing unexpected pregnancies: We’re here for you. There is reason to hope. There are people who care. Mary’s Comfort is a safe haven where you can take a deep breath, regroup, reassess, and contemplate the future with a clear mind. Of course, there are other shelters for pregnant moms waiting to welcome you, too. You are not alone.To those considering volunteering at a home for pregnant moms, I would say take the leap — you’ll never regret it. You might miss a rerun of your favorite TV show, have a little less time to read, or slow your ascent to becoming a pickleball pro, but I would ask you to stack any of those sacrifices against the joy of knowing you helped bring hope to someone desperately in need of it. Even more special, you may get the chance to play a role in welcoming a new life into this world. There are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me the first time I held one of the babies born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. It’s powerful.What is it like to be with these women as they choose life? Is there a particular moment that stands out to you? There isn’t just one single moment that stands out to me because there are so many important moments between the time our guests arrive and when we get to welcome new life into this world. For example, one of our guests walked into Mary’s Comfort for the first time and just cried. They were tears of joy. She said she never expected it to be so nice and welcoming. Another guest kept asking, “Why would you do this for me?” Their utter disbelief that strangers would care so deeply about them was striking. We helped another guest attend a class to achieve a higher level of certification and get a better job. When she passed the test, a collective cheer rang out among the volunteers. It was a small but critical milestone on the road to independence and self-sufficiency.Of course, the crowning moment was when I met the first baby born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. As I said before, there are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me. It’s powerful stuff.A baby girl at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia. Credit: Photo courtesy of Mary’s ComfortWhat is it like to volunteer at a maternity home? What is a day or week in your life like? How do you balance volunteering with your other responsibilities? Volunteering at a home for pregnant moms is incredibly rewarding and also full of surprises — no two months have been the same. The needs and challenges each guest faces have been different, so we must be nimble and creative to provide the level of support needed to give them hope and confidence. Similarly, there is no typical week for me. I work a full-time job in addition to being president of the Mary’s Comfort board of directors and an active volunteer who jumps in when needed. If I had a message for those who might be thinking about volunteering but worry it would be too much with a full-time job, I’d say go for it! Many of our volunteers work full time and still find ways to contribute in very meaningful ways. As an all-volunteer-run charity, we are very flexible and, frankly, wouldn’t succeed without volunteers of many different backgrounds and stages in life — working and retired.Kathleen Moyer has been volunteering at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for several years. Credit: Photo courtesy of Mary’s ComfortYou asked how I balance volunteering and other parts of life. I guess my mindset is that volunteering is an important part of life if I’m living the life I believe I was called to live. But volunteering is not just about checking the box on a moral obligation, it’s about doing something that brings joy to others, and in this case, has played some small role in new life being welcomed into this world. It has brought new perspective and new joy to the rest of my life, so finding balance isn’t so hard.If you could put your experience at Mary’s Comfort into one word, what would that word be and why? Grateful. Why? Because this experience has taught me to be grateful on so many levels: grateful for all the blessings in my life; grateful to work alongside such committed volunteers who just don’t give up no matter what challenges lie before us; grateful for the opportunity to serve others in this consequential way.

unitedyam October 31, 2025

A baby girl at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia. / Credit: Courtesy of Mary’s Comfort

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

After a homily inspired a group of parishioners to live out their pro-life beliefs and start a maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for mothers with crisis pregnancies, one woman shared her experience working there.

Kathleen Moyer, president of the Mary’s Comfort Board of Directors and a dedicated volunteer, shared about what it is like to volunteer with the maternity home in an interview with CNA.

CNA: What inspired you to volunteer at the maternity home? How does your faith play a role in your volunteer work?

Moyer: My faith is at the core of my volunteerism and specifically my involvement in Mary’s Comfort. Let me explain: The call to serve others is one I take seriously as a Christian and Catholic. As for Mary’s Comfort, the initial inspiration for a small group of volunteers to take on the challenge of creating it came from my pastor at St. Bernadette, Father Don Rooney, who challenged the congregation to live out our pro-life beliefs.

He noted that pregnant women in crisis — whether financial, physical, or otherwise — don’t really have a viable option to bring new life into this world. They need to know there is support out there. They need to be given a reason to hope. So, that’s how it all started.

That was three years ago. I’m sometimes amazed by how far we’ve come. I want to be clear, though, that we welcome women of all backgrounds and creeds. We are fortunate to have donors and supporters from several faiths, as well as secular groups. Our volunteers are diverse, too. Many of us are Catholic, but certainly not all. I think it speaks volumes that it is an interfaith effort.

What would you say to a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy? What would you say to someone considering volunteering at a maternity clinic?

Here’s what I would like to say to women facing unexpected pregnancies: We’re here for you. There is reason to hope. There are people who care. Mary’s Comfort is a safe haven where you can take a deep breath, regroup, reassess, and contemplate the future with a clear mind. Of course, there are other shelters for pregnant moms waiting to welcome you, too. You are not alone.

To those considering volunteering at a home for pregnant moms, I would say take the leap — you’ll never regret it. You might miss a rerun of your favorite TV show, have a little less time to read, or slow your ascent to becoming a pickleball pro, but I would ask you to stack any of those sacrifices against the joy of knowing you helped bring hope to someone desperately in need of it.

Even more special, you may get the chance to play a role in welcoming a new life into this world. There are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me the first time I held one of the babies born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. It’s powerful.

What is it like to be with these women as they choose life? Is there a particular moment that stands out to you?

There isn’t just one single moment that stands out to me because there are so many important moments between the time our guests arrive and when we get to welcome new life into this world. For example, one of our guests walked into Mary’s Comfort for the first time and just cried. They were tears of joy. She said she never expected it to be so nice and welcoming.

Another guest kept asking, “Why would you do this for me?” Their utter disbelief that strangers would care so deeply about them was striking.

We helped another guest attend a class to achieve a higher level of certification and get a better job. When she passed the test, a collective cheer rang out among the volunteers. It was a small but critical milestone on the road to independence and self-sufficiency.

Of course, the crowning moment was when I met the first baby born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. As I said before, there are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me. It’s powerful stuff.

A baby girl at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia. Credit: Photo courtesy of Mary’s Comfort

What is it like to volunteer at a maternity home? What is a day or week in your life like? How do you balance volunteering with your other responsibilities?

Volunteering at a home for pregnant moms is incredibly rewarding and also full of surprises — no two months have been the same. The needs and challenges each guest faces have been different, so we must be nimble and creative to provide the level of support needed to give them hope and confidence.

Similarly, there is no typical week for me. I work a full-time job in addition to being president of the Mary’s Comfort board of directors and an active volunteer who jumps in when needed.

If I had a message for those who might be thinking about volunteering but worry it would be too much with a full-time job, I’d say go for it! Many of our volunteers work full time and still find ways to contribute in very meaningful ways. As an all-volunteer-run charity, we are very flexible and, frankly, wouldn’t succeed without volunteers of many different backgrounds and stages in life — working and retired.

Kathleen Moyer has been volunteering at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for several years. Credit: Photo courtesy of Mary’s Comfort

You asked how I balance volunteering and other parts of life. I guess my mindset is that volunteering is an important part of life if I’m living the life I believe I was called to live. But volunteering is not just about checking the box on a moral obligation, it’s about doing something that brings joy to others, and in this case, has played some small role in new life being welcomed into this world.

It has brought new perspective and new joy to the rest of my life, so finding balance isn’t so hard.

If you could put your experience at Mary’s Comfort into one word, what would that word be and why?

Grateful. Why? Because this experience has taught me to be grateful on so many levels: grateful for all the blessings in my life; grateful to work alongside such committed volunteers who just don’t give up no matter what challenges lie before us; grateful for the opportunity to serve others in this consequential way.

Catholic University of America panel explores how Christians should think about AI

unitedyam September 25, 2025

From left: Ross Douthat, media fellow at the Institute for Human Ecology; Will Wilson, CEO of AI company Antithesis; Father Michael Baggot, LC, professor of bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome; and Brian J.A. Boyd, director for the Center for Ethics and Economic Justice at Loyola University New Orleans discuss AI and the Church on Sept. 23, 2025, at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

Washington, D.C., Sep 25, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic University of America (CUA) hosted a panel this week to discuss how Christians should think about the developing technology surrounding artificial intelligence (AI).

The Sept. 23 panel was hosted by CUA’s Institute for Human Ecology, which works to identify the economic, cultural, and social conditions vital for human flourishing. The group discussed the threats posed by AI, the future of the technology, and the Church’s place in the conversation.

Ross Douthat, media fellow at the Institute for Human Ecology, led the discussion between Father Michael Baggot, LC, professor of bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome; Will Wilson, CEO of AI company Antithesis; and Brian J.A. Boyd, director for the Center for Ethics and Economic Justice at Loyola University New Orleans.

Douthat asked the panelists what they each believe to be the greatest threat of the emerging technology as it poses new challenges to the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.

According to Boyd, the potential loss of human connection is the most prominent threat of AI. He said: “To be human is to be created in and for relationships of love — by love of God. Our nature is made to be receptive to grace.”

AI becomes an issue if “our main relationship and reference point is talking to a computer rather than to humans,” Boyd said. “I think that is an existential threat, and something worth discussing.”

“If we’re habituated to look at the screen before we look at our neighbor … and AI is [the] constant reference point, it will make habits of prayer much more difficult to include. It will make it harder to learn to listen to the voice of God, because the answer is always in your pocket.”

Baggot said his greatest concern is that “artificial intimacy is going to distract us from, and deter us from, the deep interpersonal bonds that are central to our happiness and our flourishing.”

“Companies now grip not only our minds but also are capturing our affections,” Baggot said. “We can all read about these tragic cases of exploitation and manipulation that are only going to continue unless we put proper guardrails in place and also provide the information that allows us to have the kind of deep interpersonal relationships we were made for.”

While many people worry that AI could create “mass unemployment,” Wilson said he disagrees: “I think that this is a very silly fear because human desires and human wants are infinite, and therefore, we always find new things for people to do.”

Rather, Wilson shared his concern that humans will no longer create their own ideas and will lose their intelligence and knowledge.

“The trouble with AI is even if it’s not actually intelligent, it does a very good simulacrum of intelligence, and it’s very tempting to use it to substitute for human intelligence,” Wilson said. “It’s very possible that we’re entering a world where very soon any cognitive labor, any reason, [or] any thought will be a luxury.”

Catholic AI

While there are dangers to AI, Baggot addressed the positive aspects the tool can offer, highlighting the benefits of Catholic AI companies.

“I’ve been privileged to work on the Scholarly Advisory Board of Magisterium AI, which is basically a Catholic answer engine that’s very narrowly trained on reliable documents, magisterial documents, [and] theological texts,” Baggot said.

Magisterium AI is a “system designed to give people reliable responses to their questions about the Catholic faith,” Baggot explained. “This is appealing to Catholics who want to go deeper, but it’s also quite appealing to people who have never really had the chance, or aren’t quite ready, to speak to another human person about their curiosities regarding Catholicism.”

Baggot explained that creators of the technology work hard to keep it from being “anthropomorphic” to avoid users confusing the AI with actual connection. He said: “We do not want people having an intimate relationship with it.”

While Magisterium AI can provide useful information, Baggot acknowledged that it is not a tool for spiritual direction. He said: “Spiritual direction … should be with another living, breathing human being who actually has insight into human experience [and] who can develop a relationship of real empathy and real compassion.”

The Church’s place in AI

The panelists had differing viewpoints about the Church’s place in AI and how Christians should approach it. Wilson said he believes “the conversation about where the technology is going and what we’re going to do with it is happening among people who do not care … what any Christian church has to say on the topic.”

“It’s actually a little hard to blame them because Christians have basically sacrificed their place at the forefront of science and technology, which is where we were in centuries past,” Wilson said.

“Control goes to those who can deploy the most capital, and capital gets allocated very fast to people who are able to deploy very efficiently. And by and large, those people are not Christians because Christians aren’t really trying.”

Baggot said that while AI does pose dangers, the Church “has a lot of insight and wisdom” that can help guide the conversation. “The Church is in a privileged position to leverage its incredible patrimony, its reflection on the human person, [and] human flourishing.”

“The Church has reflected a lot about the meaning and value of work, the subjective value of work. It’s not just about economic efficiency, but it’s about how I use my own God-given talents to grow as a person and then also to serve others in intrinsically valuable activities.”