In the fall of 2024, the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Canal Winchester started Sunflower Ministries, which is a pro-life ministry dedicated to protecting the unborn and supporting families through compassionate action. We host events centered around prayer, service, and education, and encourage our parishioners to join us in our efforts to stand up for the right to life.
Our prayer-oriented events, such as Adoration in the name of the unborn, help us fulfill the mission to respect the dignity of life and God’s perfect creation within our hearts. Service is at the core of our ministry and allows us to provide aid to those in our community who need it, such as pregnancy centers and mothers in need. This has occurred in the form of baby blanket making for a local pregnancy center, diaper drives and other similar activities that are engaging and rooted in serving the community.
Our educational events support evangelization by explaining Church teaching on topics around respecting life. Through movie viewings and book reviews, we have equipped ourselves with knowledge and real-life examples of how to defend the pro-life stance firmly but with kindness, even in controversial environments. The incorporation of all of these efforts have guided us to create a program that directly supports growing families within our own church.
Driven by this need as well as the pews continuously filling with families, we launched our Sunflower Storks program. This program provides prayerful and practical support to families at our parish welcoming a new child, whether through birth, adoption, foster care or other sacred ways. Generous volunteers act as “storks” to families who are signed up.
The storks pray for the family during pregnancy and offer adoration or dedicated rosaries. Upon arrival of the child, the stork drops off a basket of tangible support, such as diapers, wipes, and clothes, as well as a fresh meal. The stork stays connected with the family afterward to provide any assistance needed with baptism or returning to Mass with a new baby. Lastly, the family receives a check-in a few months later to ensure they are still supported after the initial adjustment.
Since August 2025, this initiative has welcomed six new babies into the parish!
Unfortunately, in this space, miscarriage is a heartbreaking reality. Our church has supported two families through the loss of their children in this short time span. The need for growth is evident. We must recognize this tragedy with the same passion we have to protect life, calling us to expand our support systems with grace, love and understanding.
Miscarriage is often spoken of quietly, if at all. Loved ones may feel that they don’t know the “right” thing to say, leading to silence. For many women, though, this loss of their child is the beginning of a profound, lingering sorrow. Grief after miscarriage is not a sign of weak faith. Like Mary at the foot of the cross, women can hold sorrow and hope together, grieving while remaining rooted in faith. As Catholics, supporting women after miscarriage is not optional. Our belief in the dignity of every human life calls us to walk with these women and support them in their healing.
The loss of a child in a miscarriage is especially painful when the life was so brief and often unseen to the world. As Catholics, we believe that life begins at conception. By acknowledging this truth, we demonstrate to women that we see their pain and will lovingly support them. Too often, miscarriage is met with silence and well-meaning regards meant to move women past their grief. This silence can be isolating and mistakenly communicate to women that their grief is unimportant. Yet scripture reminds us that when one member suffers, all suffer together.
Simple, compassionate actions to support women after loss can make a significant difference. This may look like: offering sincere condolences, praying both for and with women and their families, and sitting with women and allowing space for tears. More tangible support may look like: bringing a meal, remembering due dates and anniversaries to send a card or message, and connecting women with trusted clergy and resources for further support.
If we value the sanctity of life, we must also honor the weight of its loss and support mothers through the heartbreak of miscarriage. Communities that choose presence over silence reflect Christ’s passion, ensuring no woman feels that she must carry her sorrow alone.
Victoria Tucker serves as ministry leader, and Jessie Estrada is a Women’s Health Coach (NBC-HWC).