The Advent Giving Tree is a great way to help!
By Valerie Schmalz
From a crib placed in St. Matthew’s Church for donations in San Mateo to banners in the front of St. Peter, St. Charles and St. Anthony churches in San Francisco’s Mission district – priests and parishioners are stepping up to help pregnant mothers and new moms in need through the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Gabriel Project.
The support is encouraging, says Archdiocese of San Francisco Gabriel Project/Respect Life Coordinator Maria Martinez-Mont. “The number of women seeking help has doubled,” says Martinez-Mont. At any given time, volunteers are helping 15-20 women a month this year, she said.
In November, 13 pregnant women, all Spanish speaking immigrants, reached out for help to the Gabriel Project, she said. This year, more teenagers are coming to the Gabriel Project for financial and emotional help.
However, most of those seeking help are in their 20s, said Rafaela Pinto, who is an Angel (a volunteer) at St. Peter Church. “Most of them are alone, the men are not responsible, they are not there.”
“We have to try to help them live with that and help them not feel so alone, so abandoned,” Pinto said. “We help them to feel their value, their dignity as a woman. We talk about the blessing of the child, a blessing from God.”
The Gabriel Project offers emotional and spiritual support to pregnant moms, walking alongside them through their pregnancies, as well as meeting material needs that range from diapers, strollers, and car seats to occasional help with the rent. Some women stay in touch long past their baby’s birth—others just briefly connect and then move on, Martinez-Mont said.
“What is most rewarding is when you are able to touch them spiritually, that a seed is planted no matter what trouble they get in, they have an anchor,” said Martinez-Mont. “If you can give them the spiritual side that can be with them forever.”
And the help is effective, as Msgr. John Talesfore said in a recent message via Flocknote to St. Matthew Parish: “We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our parish community. Supporting the Gabriel Project is one of the most impactful ways we can live out our call to protect life and walk with mothers in hope.”
Each parish Gabriel Project team has its own dynamic, although all follow the Gabriel Project handbook rules and the entire ministry falls both under the pastor and the Archdiocese. For instance, at Mater Dolorosa and at St. Matthew, the parish has a ‘closet’ with baby supplies. St. Robert’s holds a collection and St. Francis of Assisi in East Palo Alto lists the Gabriel Project on its website and in its bulletins. St Gabriel Parish held a baby drive. Mater Dolorosa and St. Anthony in Novato have huge banners that ask “Pregnant? Need help? 1-800-910-2848”.
At St. Peter, Rafaela Pinto has also created a WhatsApp group for the moms to give them a community so new moms can connect to more experienced mothers. Often when she first meets the pregnant mom, she takes her out for a meal in a restaurant. “Nothing fancy, we take them out so they can eat something they want when they are pregnant,” said Pinto, who teams up with another parishioner at St. Peter to help the moms.
Occasionally, a Gabriel Angel is able to facilitate a connection with the parish priest and help with arranging the baby’s baptism or marriage to the baby’s father. Others have decided to learn more about their faith and older children have been brought to faith formation so they can receive their first Communion.
But there is no requirement that women receiving help be Catholic or of any faith, Martinez-Mont emphasized.
For those seeking a way to help at this time of year–the virtual Advent Giving Tree is a restricted fund and the only fundraiser the Archdiocese conducts for the ministry, she noted. It has two options: the general Gabriel Project support including clothing and baby items and the Extraordinary Needs Fund to help with short-term rent and/or childcare.
The Respect Life Office offers bumper stickers with magnetic backing and can order banners for parishes or a poster for the church vestibule.
For Rafaela Pinto, the rewards of helping the women who come to the Gabriel Project are great: “I feel so happy for this opportunity. I wish I could do more. I help with my heart. For me, it’s an honor. I feel like I can help God to help others.”
To volunteer, contact Maria Martinez-Mont at gabrielproject@sfarch.org
To donate, go here for the Advent Tree.
