A Brief History of the Gabriel Project
The Gabriel Project began as a parish project in a handful of parishes around the United States. One of the parishes was St. Michael's Catholic Church in Houston, Texas. The pastor placed a sign in front of the church stating that his church would help a woman in a crisis pregnancy.
In 1990, Rex Moses, saw the sign at St. Michael's and brought the idea to the Corpus Christi Diocese where it incorporated as a 501c(3) to be a diocesan and ecumenical effort under the guidance of Bishop Rene Gracida. Approximately 50 churches, Catholic and non-Catholic, came on board to participate in the Gabriel Project in the Corpus Christi Diocese under the leadership of Dale Cumberland.
In 1991, with the blessings of Bishop Joseph Fiorenza, the Diocese of Galveston-Houston signed up about 50 Catholic and non-Catholic churches to participate in the Gabriel Project as a diocesan ministry under the leadership of Cathy McConn.
With permission of Bishop John McCarthy, the Respect Life Office of the Diocese of Austin initiated the Gabriel Project in February 1993. Gradually the Gabriel Project spread to other dioceses in Texas – Amarillo, Dallas, Laredo, Tyler, Victoria, and across the nation taking on the personality of the area and fitting in with other available resources within the Church and the community for pregnant women in need.
Dioceses developed their Gabriel Project to provide for the variety of needs that were being presented, such as: Angel Trainings, Maternity Homes, Maternity Shelters, Shepherding Homes, the ‘Michaels”, Central Phone Lines with toll free numbers in the Yellow Pages, Free Pregnancy Tests, Maternal Assistance Programs, storage facilities for clothing and baby items, ect. Throughout the years thousands of woman have received help and love through the Gabriel Project during their pregnancies.
As the interest level has grown for good resources and information in establishing Gabriel Projects around the country, it has become apparent that there is an increasing need for a national office. With the blessings of and in cooperation with the Pro-Life Secretariat of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Respect Life Offices of the Dioceses of Austin and Galveston-Houston requested the honor of organizing and coordinating the Gabriel Project National Office in the Spring of 2002.
What is the goal and mission of the Gabriel Project?
The Gabriel project seeks to win all hearts to Jesus Christ and to make Him known and loved by everyone.
Through the Gabriel Project one lives the charism of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke by going out in haste to greet any pregnant woman who needs help by bringing Jesus to her life and her home by helping her in any way we can.
The Gabriel Project enables priests and churches to represent to the mother and child the espousal role and fatherhood of God.
The Gabriel Project seeks God’s perfect model for motherhood.
The Gabriel Project witnesses to the community a respect and reverence for life, and an unconditional love.
To initiate the Gabriel Project at the parish level, parishes prepare the congregation for the Gabriel Project by having a “Gabriel Sunday” to explain to the parish what the Gabriel Project is and to recruit volunteers from the parish.
There will be many different levels of volunteers, but those who volunteer to be ‘angels’ must attend an Angel Training. ‘Angels’ are those volunteers who work directly with the woman seeking help and act as a liaison to the parish. All angels receive an Angel Book at training to help them in their apostolate. All Angels need to be commissioned and receive a special blessing from their pastor. Gabriel Project Parishes advertise their willingness to help women in crisis pregnancies by blessing and placing a ‘Sign of Life’ in front of their church.
Training, networking, Angel Books, Mother and Baby Books, Signs of Life, brochures, support, encouragement and guidelines are made available to parishes through the Diocesan Office of Respect Life. Each parish will be a witness to the community of the infinite and healing love of God.For Mothers and their unborn babies.
Through the Gabriel Project the mother can receive love, care and the spiritual and emotional support she needs. The Church community is invited to respond to the mother’s needs, whatever they may be, with respect and confidentiality. An angel parishioner who has been trained through the Gabriel Project), will be responsible for on going contact with the mother. Through the Angel, the church community accepts the expectant mother with an unconditional love.
The goal of the Gabriel Project is to encourage the Church to be the Good Samaritan to the woman faced with a crisis pregnancy. The parish will do this by welcoming and assisting the woman with love. Jesus will be brought into her life and home through the care and concern of the church community. The love of the church community will open the hearts of men and women to recognize the beauty and goodness of God’s creation, and His infinite compassion and mercy.
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