Project Gabriel

He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

– Isaiah 40:11

MISSION AND HISTORY

For Catholic Christians, Mary is the model of affirmation and acceptance of God’s will. When the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the mother of the Messiah, Mary asked, “How can this be?” But the angel told her, “Fear not! Nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded, “Let it be done as you say.” She trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled. Project Gabriel carries the same comforting message from the Church to young mothers who may be frightened and alone: God is faithful if we trust. Like the Angel Gabriel, our mission is to announce the good news of life today, dispel fear, and offer hope for tomorrow.

Project Gabriel began over 35 years ago in the Galveston-Houston diocese when the pastor of St. Michael’s Church displayed a sign offering help to any woman in a crisis pregnancy. In 1990, Bishop Rene Garcida of Corpus Christi implemented the program, which quickly expanded to over 60 churches in that diocese. The Project Gabriel ministry (a.k.a. Gabriel Project) also operates in the dioceses of Galveston-Houston, Austin, Tyler, Longview, Ft. Worth, Amarillo, and Dallas, as well as in many cities across the U.S. Each diocese has a slightly different structure and implementation, but the purpose – saving babies and helping mothers – is the same.

PURPOSE AND GOALS

Today in America every third pregnancy ends in abortion. Women who have abortions almost never see them as a good, but as a necessary evil. Rather than having “freedom of choice,” they seek abortions precisely because they have no freedom and no choice. The Church can help to change that. An abortion-minded woman needs to know that real help is close by, not only from government agencies, but from the Church, her spiritual home. Project Gabriel expresses what the Church is called to be, a community of believers who, by living their Faith in action, become more sensitive and responsive to the needs of those who may be outside that community. No solution goes more swiftly and effectively to the heart of the abortion problem. It is a compassionate and caring way in which each parish can carry out its mission to proclaim and extend the Gospel of Life.

THE GABRIEL TEAM

Project Gabriel is an outreach ministry with key individuals at diocesan and parish levels.

Pastor
-- Agrees to the presence of a Project Gabriel sign on parish property and acts as a spiritual advisor to the parish Angels and Gabriel mothers who are Catholic.

Project Gabriel Ministry Director
--Conducts Project Gabriel awareness sessions, creates and updates the Gabriel Angel Manuals, trains Gabriel Angels, and acts as liaison to parishes and other groups.

Gabriel Angel Coordinator
--Pairs the Gabriel Angels with the mothers, helps recruit and train Angels, researches community resources for mothers.

Spanish Gabriel Consultant
--Assists with training and recruits bilingual Angels, as well as helps with Spanish-speaking mothers.

Parish Coordinators
--Support the work of Project Gabriel through awareness, prayer, education, and fundraising assistance.

Parenting Options Advisor
--Meets with Gabriel mothers to discuss possible adoption and parenting plans

GEMS Coordinator
--Coordinates instructional modules for post-Gabriel mothers

GEMS Coach
--Mentors candidates on their journey to graduation from the GEMS Academy

GABRIEL AFFILIATES AND RESOURCES FOR MOTHERS

972- BABY-DUE helpline at Catholic churches in Dallas & Ft. Worth
Catholic Charities Maternity and Adoption
White Rose Women’s Center
Life Tree Christian Adoptions
Missionaries of Charity Maternity Home
Pregnancy Resource Center of Southwest Dallas
The Heidi Group Hope Center of South Dallas
Low Birth Weight Development Center of West Dallas
Real Options for Women
Parish “satellite centers” utilizing on-site professional counselors
Chosen Heritage Adoptions
St. Vincent de Paul
The Angels Clinic

PROCEDURES/TRAINING

Project Gabriel offers awareness sessions for all interested clergy and laypersons.

Parishes usually publicize their commitment to Gabriel by erecting a BABY-DUE sign, provided by the pro-life committee or other parish group such as the Knights of Columbus. On Respect Life Sunday or other appropriate time, the pastor dedicates the sign and volunteers called “Gabriel Angels” are recruited from the parish.

Two-day trainings are held throughout the diocese three times a year, in January-February, May-June, and September-October. Angels are commissioned at the end of the second training day and are then eligible to be paired with a mother. All Angels are required to take the “safe environment” training offered for anyone in the parish who ministers to the young or vulnerable.

Trainings include these elements:
• overview of Project Gabriel, its history and mission and pro-life focus
• excerpts from the encyclical The Gospel of Life
• effective inter-communication skills
• strategies for meeting the material needs of mothers in crisis
• information and referrals for open adoption
• pre- and post-natal resources for mothers and babies
• leading a chaste lifestyle
• natural family planning
• Angel spirituality
• goal-setting
• role-playing

For more information about how to implement Project Gabriel in a parish, contact

Patty Sherrod, Director of Ministries
972-235-5554
pfsherr@sbcglobal.net

Encouraging Words

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Abortions in the U.S.

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Since Jan. 22, 1973:

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