June 15, 2009
Gabriel's Notes
"Amen I say to you,
as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren,
you did it to me" Matthew (25:40)
With sadness and fond memories, I am reporting that the father of Anita Moody, Winferd (Bud) Moody, passed away Friday, June 12 at the age of 87. Anita is the Regional Coordinator of the Gabriel Project in the Indianapolis Archdiocese. Within the archdiocese, Anita assigns all the women asking for help to churches and coordinators. She also answers some of the phone calls for help, looks for shelter for the women, collects and delivers cribs, diapers and gently used clothing, makes referrals to Birthline and leads the coordinators.
Bud was proud of the work that Anita and her sister, Bobbi Lawless (an Angel from Little Flower parish), do for the Gabriel Project. He was President of the Blue Army in Indianapolis and Chair of the Respect Life Committee at Little Flower for many years. Bud was also well known for his letters to the editor about pro-life issues to the Criterion.
Visitation will be Tuesday, June 16 from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Shirley Brothers Washington Memorial Chapel, 9606 E. Washington St. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, June 17 at 11:00 a.m. at Little Flower Catholic Church.
To view the Obituary Notification, click on the link below, or copy and paste it into your web browser:
http://www2.indystar.com/cgi-bin/obituaries/index.php?action=show&id=105190
Teamwork Saves a Woman and her Baby
Saturday morning, June 13, Patty Yeadon, a sidewalk counselor of Truth and Compassion Ministry, met a beautiful Spanish-speaking woman at the abortion center at W. 16th Street. Patty does not speak Spanish, but was ale to let the woman know that help could be secured by phone. Patty called the Gabriel Helpline and Luis Aguayo was contacted to call Patty and talk to Tina (not her real name).
Instead of calling, Luis arrived in person and assured Tina that she would not be alone in her pregnancy and birth of the child. He let her know that many caring people were waiting to help her through her pregnancy and beyond it. Tina left without aborting her baby. Praise God and thanks to the dedicated service of Patty and Luis. Please keep Tina in your prayers.
40 Days for Life - Fall, 2009
We have had some responses about helping sponsor 40 Days for Life in Merrillville. If you want to be part of a statewide leadership team for 40 Days for Life, please send your contact information (name, email, phone and church or pro-life organization) to Pat Kaleta at pkaleta49@yahoo.com.
The Indiana Knights of Columbus and the Great Lakes Gabriel Project will help coordinate efforts in Indiana for the 40 Days event from Wednesday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 1. Leaders are still needed to maintain a 40 Days site in Bloomington.
June 11, 2009
Your prayers are requested for two young women, who were in a hurry yesterday morning as they emerged from their first of two abortion appointments at "1201" N. Arlington in Indianapolis.
In Indiana, women are "counseled" at their first appointment and then must wait at least 18 hours before the actual abortion can be performed. It's called the "18 hour law." Please pray that they not return or if they do return, they will take a moment to talk with a sidewalk counselor, who will offer them help from the Gabriel Project. Kathy Stadler was the counselor who attempted to speak with them yesterday. Remember that all things are possible with God.
St. Patrick, Arcola
I was in the Fort Wayne, IN area last Monday evening to introduce the Gabriel Project at a Pro-life Ministry meeting at St. Patrick in Arcola. Please pray that the members of this parish will be moved by the Holy Spirit to "launch" a Gabriel Project to help women and families experiencing difficult pregnancies.
Halfway to Heaven
On Tuesday, I joined Floral Sieradski of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Fort Wayne and Cathie Humbarger, Executive Director of Allen County Right to Life, at Wings of Hope, a halfway house in Fort Wayne for women under house arrest. They are released early from prison and attempting to transition to a productive life after prison.
We met with former prison Chaplain Linda Kluczinski, the founder and Director of Wings of Hope, which has been operating for 12 years. We witnessed Linda telling the women to depend on God to help them through their life-journey. We could see that Linda teaches that lesson by her example. The peaceful presence of joy and hope could be felt throughout the house as we saw women who shared tasks, welcomed volunteers, worked on resumes and discussed strategies for seeking employment.
Meeting Gabriel Mom
After we learned about the operation of the house and explained the mission of the Gabriel Project, we met Karen (not her real name), the pregnant woman who needs our help. She is sweet, frightened about her first pregnancy, excited about caring for the baby and appreciative of the love and attention being extended to her.
Needs of Gabriel Mom
Karen needs five $45 Citilink monthly buspasses to manage all her medical appointments. Now and then it would be nice to provide a ride for her as well. She could also use some gently-used clothes for herself and a bassinette for the baby. We brought in lunch and shared dreams about the future for Karen's baby.
Needs of Wings of Hope
Wings of Hope depends on the generosity of Fort Wayne area groups. If you wish to donate food for the 13 women staying there, call Linda Kluczinski at 260-745-1005. For donations to the Gabriel Project for Karen and other women in the Fort Wayne area, call Floral Sieradski at 260, 672-2272.
40 Days for Life
The Gabriel Project will again sponsor 40 Days for Life - Indy in the fall from September 23 through November 1. If you can help coordinate efforts at your church, please contact us at projectgabriel@comcast.net. The Indiana Knights of Columbus will also play a leadership role throughout the state at the 40 Days for Life events.
So far, we know that 40 Days will be observed in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and South Bend. If you would like to help organize efforts in those cities or in Bloomington or Merrillville, please contact Eileen at projectgabriel@comcast.net.
June 8, 2009
Good morning and join us as we "Praise God" for the 42 women who have chosen life for their children under very difficult circumstances since January 1, 2009. The 42 women to whom I am referring "turned around" at one of the four abortion centers in Indianapolis.
Two "Saves" this Week
Tuesday at 1201 North Arlington, Debbie Provost and Fran Adornato took Janet (not her real name) to one of the Life Centers for a free ultrasound. Janet went home happy about her choice for Life.
Thursday at 1201, Kathy Stadler called the Gabriel Helpline and gave her phone to Angela (not her real name). Angela began by saying that she really did not want to be there. Angela has a 4 yr old daughter and 6 month old twins and the father of all her babies is staying with a relative in Illinois, where he has found work. She is going to school here hoping to become a nurse.
Angela had already paid $175 as a down-payment on her abortion. She lost the money, but came away with a renewed sense of Hope and Joy. The Gabriel Project promised to help her with a bill to recoup the $175 she had lost.
June 1, 2009
Two Saves Friday
Friday, Mary Louis Scheidler came to the abortion center at W. 16th St. as a Prayer Partner to support the work of Elizabeth Kane, Sidewalk Counselor. A couple from India found that the side door of the abortion center was locked and consequently they had to pass by Elizabeth on their way in. She spoke with them and gave them literature, but they went into the center anyway and stayed for an hour. Elizabeth and Mary Louise prayed during that time and when the couple came out they had changed their minds and chosen life. They rejoiced with Elizabeth and she gave them a beautiful baby blanket to take home with them.
Later that same day a Latino couple came and listened to Elizabeth, but went in for their appointment. When they came out, Elizabeth knew immediately that they had chosen life because they looked so happy. They were holding hands and excited about their new gift of life. Please keep both of these couples in your prayers.
One Save Saturday
A young couple came to Planned Parenthood Saturday and stopped before entering the driveway so that they could talk with Jane Maher and Steve Dlugosz, who are Prayer Partners from St. Monica parish. Jane and Steve spoke with the couple and sent them to talk to a Sidewalk Counselor, Maureen McHugh. More details about this wonderful story will come later. For now, the couple is considering adoption since they have a seven month old baby and no jobs.
The Gabriel Project is helping this couple and Sr. Mary Ann Lechner S.P. will be tutoring them for their GEDs. Sr. Mary Ann is a "miracle worker" when it comes to the GED. We are blessed to have her as a friend and a resource.
This morning the couple got ready to go for their first GED lesson and discovered that their electricity had been disconnected because of back bills. They have been paying the minimum amount, but have not been able to pay anything since April.
We Need You
The Gabriel Project has paid their balance due of $317 and we are trusting that you will Pray for reimbursement of our costs or, if you are able to, contribute (even $10), that would also help. Just use the Donate button at the bottom of this email.
During the past week, we have had to pay two other electric bills - one for a woman whom we connected with through her abortion appointment. She chose life and has recently had her hours cut at work. With this economy, we are gearing up for more financial needs from our Moms. We appreciate any help you can supply in the form of prayers and contributions.
GLGP Needs
We still need a job for Jenny and we are thanking two generous donors for cars other Gabriel Moms. If you can help Jenny with a job possibility, contact me atprojectgabriel@comcast.net.