New Birthline location helps ministry ‘walk with more moms in need’

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson blesses Birthline Ministry’s new space in the Xavier Building, 1435 N. Illinois St., on the campus of the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis on Oct. 7. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By Natalie Hoefer

In September, the archdiocese’s Birthline Ministry moved from the lower level of the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis, to the Xavier Building on the Catholic Center’s campus.

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson blessed the new space on Oct. 7.

“I appreciated knowing that [the archbishop] supports what Birthline is doing to walk with moms in need,” said Keri Carroll, who coordinates the archdiocesan ministry.

(Related: Information about Birthline Ministry)

The timing of the blessing during Respect Life Month meshed well with the ministry’s goal: to assist pregnant women and mothers of infants in need.

Carroll is excited about the new space.

“We’re not in the basement anymore!” she said. “Here in the Xavier Building, we have the convenience of having an elevator—no stair-climbing for pregnant mothers!”

Even the clients have expressed appreciation for this new feature, she said.

Addressing that safety issue was one reason for the ministry’s move.

But, Carroll added, “It has been the vision of the archdiocesan leadership the last couple of years to have client-oriented services” in the Xavier Building at 1435 N. Illinois St. on the northwest side of the Catholic Center campus. “When COVID-19 restrictions were put into place, it seemed like perfect timing to consolidate.”

That consolidation has “made us streamline our efforts and will make us more efficient in the service we provide our clients,” she said. “It’s given us the ability to collaborate with the [Catholic Charities] Crisis Office staff to serve clients better,” since Birthline serves infants size newborn to 2T, and the Crisis Office, also located in the Xavier Building, serves children size 3T and larger.

Birthline’s new location also benefits those donating goods to the ministry, said Carroll.

“It will be easier to drop off donations now because of the garage door and elevator,” she said.

And while the new space “is actually a smaller footprint than what we had in the basement,” she added, “volunteers and social workers say they can’t believe how much space we now have. Because there are no walls separating the space, we have more room.”

The archbishop’s blessing of the new location gave Carroll a sense of peace.

“Having it blessed makes me feel the move was part of God’s plan to help make Birthline Ministry more visible,” she said, “so that we are able to walk with more moms in need.” †