by Veronica Pino
St. Gianna Program Manager
Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska
One of our most recent endeavors at St. Gianna Women’s Home has been guiding three of our mothers as they seek to get their children baptized.
In many ways, it’s been an exciting experience, as we do what we can to help these families so that their little ones can enter the Catholic Church. What heartwarming moments we had as each mother approached one of our staff members expressing her desire to baptize her children. And what joy to think of seven children receiving the sacrament of Baptism!
However, this process has also been a solemn reminder of the reality of their situations. I think the moment that has affected me most was hearing one mother, whose oldest child is 10 years old, say, “I’ve always wanted to baptize the kids, but you have to have godparents. I don’t have anyone. So it’s something I stopped pursuing.”
It’s disheartening to realize that the obstacle which most kept these children from being baptized sooner was the fact that they didn’t have anyone by their side. Mom didn’t have anyone accompanying her, encouraging her, helping her, loving her, leading her to Jesus, so much so that she just stopped trying, despite the longing in her heart to baptize her children.
This is so often the case for the women at St. Gianna’s. And that becomes the most important thing we can do for them—offer love and let them know that they are no longer alone, and help them create other relationships that truly provide support. We, created in God’s image, have been created for community. With the right people surrounding them, what previously seemed impossible often becomes easy. With the right people accompanying them, the doors of Heaven are being opened for these little ones.
I’ve recently witnessed some truly incredible—although they appear very ordinary—examples of people willing to support and love these women: an employer who showed great compassion and understanding, and who went above and beyond in order to help a struggling mother keep her job; a bus driver who, through seemingly small gestures of kindness, helped a new resident of Lincoln navigate the city and begin to put her life back together; a volunteer whose constant words of encouragement have slowly softened the heart of a woman who felt that she was worth nothing.
To each of you reading this, I ask that you consider where God is calling you to accompany those around you. Maybe for some of you, this calling is to a new volunteer commitment—either at Catholic Social Services, your parish, a nursing home, or any other mission close to your heart that allows you to encounter those most in need. For others, this call may be to simply be more present and attentive to family members or friends, maybe to a coworker or neighbor.
Each and every one of us is called to love those that God places in our lives. Let this be a moment to examine how well we are doing this, and to seek out opportunities to grow in holiness, to love as Jesus did each time He encountered someone during His time on earth.
