Archbishop encourages help for pregnancies
A “Gabriel Project” conference to train volunteers in ways to support women in difficult pregnancies takes place at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, 1111 Gough St., on Sept. 12. An 8:30 a.m. continental breakfast will be followed by the program running from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Gabriel Project uses signs, pamphlets, bumper stickers and a toll free hotline to alert pregnant mothers about available help. Callers to the hotline are referred to the local Gabriel Project Coordinator, who connects them to a trained mentor.
The mentor, one of the parish’s “Gabriel Angels,” is responsible for ongoing contact with the mother throughout her pregnancy and somewhat beyond. Through these mentors and the assistance of the parish community, mothers receive needed spiritual, material and emotional support during their pregnancy.
Conference organizers said, “Gabriel Project parishes embrace each pregnant woman who comes to them as their daughter, sister and friend.”
In an August 24 letter to pastors and parochial vicars, San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer said clergy and parishes must reach out to women in difficult pregnancies with “real, concrete help.”
He endorsed the Gabriel Project as a practical and effective means to fulfill that task, explaining that it was first introduced into the Bay Area in 1997 under Cardinal William Levada.
The archbishop also encouraged clergy to consider the ministry for their parish and to send a small team of interested parishioners to the conference.
He noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities” states that a parish pro-life committee should aim to develop a ministry to pregnant women and their children.
“The Gabriel Project answers this call. It embodies the practical support that the bishops promise pregnant women,” Archbishop Niederauer said.
He added, “The parish community assists with unconditional love. Through them, mothers receive the spiritual, material and emotional support needed during pregnancy.”
Information about the conference is available from the San Francisco Archdiocesan Respect Life Program of the Office of Public Policy & Social Concerns, which is organizing the gathering.
To register call Vicki Evans at 415- 614-5533 or email her at evansv@sfarchdiocese.org.
