Project Rachel Ministry offers healing to any hurt by abortion

The National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children began in 2013 with more than 100 memorial services held across the United States to humanize aborted children. On Sept. 14, St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Cheektowaga, commemorated the observance with a talk and a rededication of its Monument to the Unborn.

“Many of us have been touched by the loss of a child, or maybe even more than one child. This could be our child, a grandchild, a brother or sister, a niece or nephew, or through someone special in our lives,” said Karen Ralabate, Respect Life coordinator for St. Philip’s, in her welcoming address. “The loss of a child through abortion or in any way leaves a hole in our hearts and our lives. Let us take this time together to pray for the babies, for the mothers and fathers, the family members, and the communities that lost a very precious gift from God. We know our God is a forgiving God. He never gives up on us and always welcomes us back into His arms.”

Nearly 40 guests sang “Amazing Grace” and they gathered around the Monument to the Unborn that stands in front of the Losson Road church.

Msgr. Richard Siepka, moderator of Beloved Disciples of Christ the Lord Family of Parishes, began a rededication of the monument to honor those aborted since the installation of the stone memorial. “God our Father, we ask You to bless us, to encourage us, to inspire us, to touch the hearts of all with love, love that one should have for all human life,” he said.

Those gathered then prayed the rosary.  

Back inside, Sarah Lindstrom, coordinator of the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center, spoke about Project Rachel, the Catholic Church’s abortion healing ministry.

“Its message truly is that God’s mercy is for everyone. There is no one outside His reach,” said Lindstrom.

Project Rachel is open to anyone affected by abortion. It mostly reaches women who have had abortions, but is open to fathers, would-be grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles. Even people who may have driven a friend to have an abortion can find consolation from Project Rachel representatives.

The network consists of trained consultants – priests, deacons, sisters, lay staff, mental health professionals – who help women and men reconcile their abortions with Church teachings.

“It’s a team that we can draw from depending on the need. If she’s looking for reconciliation or coming back into the Church; if she is looking for mental health help. We want to have that group of people ready to go so that we can refer her,” Lindstrom said. “There’s no set formula for what this ministry is. It is very individual for each person coming to us. It could be as simple as a confidential phone call, where she gets it all out there, then she’s done. She doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. Maybe she needs a couple meetings. There’s no one size fits all way to go about this.”

Vitae Foundation has done “emotional research” to find out where the woman is in her life when she seeks post abortive care.

“One of the more heartbreaking things to learn for me personally is a post-abortive woman does not feel she can come to the Church for that healing,” Lindstrom said. “She fears that judgment. She fears rejection. She doesn’t feel like she’s worthy of God’s mercy. That breaks my heart, because it should truly be the first place that someone turns to for that healing, for that mercy.”

The Guttmacher Institute has reported nearly 1 in 4 women will have an abortion; 61 percent will already have children; 24 percent identify as Catholic.

“These are women in your churches. They are sitting next to you in your pew,” she said. “So, it is not an out there problem. It is also very much in our churches. And it is maybe the woman who is feeling lost and doesn’t know where to turn and keeps going to Mass because that’s what she feels called to do. If she sees something in the bulletin or a tearaway sheet in the bathroom because she’s coming to Mass searching for whatever’s missing from her, then we’re ready for her.”

Lindstrom cautioned those present to be sensitive when talking on the subject of abortion, as they don’t know how they have been affected by it.

Tearaway sheets with a help line number (716-847-2211) placed in church bathrooms have proven to be an effective, confidential way for a woman to get help.