The Gabriel Project
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Thank You!
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From the Gabriel Project
We, the Gabriel Project Ministry team, “THANK YOU” from the bottom of our hearts for your donations during May's Dollars for Diapers + More Drive. It is because of your support that we are able to serve the Gabriel Project moms and their families in our community.
God bless you and your families!!
Lauren Brauer, Elizabeth Cole,
Veronica Lents, Nancy Schultz,
Carmen AdamsThe St. Austin's Gabriel Project Ministry
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As Carmen Adams Retires,We Give Thanks for Her Service!
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After 12 years of serving pregnant and new moms through St. Austin's Gabriel Project ministry, Carmen Adams is retiring from her role as Gabriel Project Coordinator.
Please join us in celebrating her many years of service with a blessing offered for Carmen by the presider.Sunday, June 12
at the
11:30 a.m. Mass
A Small Reception
will follow after Mass,
in the Ministry Center.
Carmen, we are so grateful for your service and wish you the best in your retirement!Read her story here
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Carmen Adams
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Sunday, May 15, 2022Three Invitations for You!
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Throughout May -Help Us Raise Dollars for Diapers + More
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Join Us in the RosarySundays in May, the 15th & 29th
May is the month of Our Lady, Our Spiritual Mother! Dedicate time to pray the Rosary in honor of and in thanksgiving for the Blessed Mother, for your mother or someone who has been a mother to you. Join us at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help altar after the 11:30 Mass on Sundays in May 15 and 29. All are welcome to pray one decade or the entire Rosary. Free Rosaries (for adults & children) with Rosary prayer guides (English & Spanish) and prayer petition cards will be available. Please contact Gabriel Project Coordinator Carmen Adams at 512-417-8309 for more information.
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Join us in prayer for life every first Tuesday!Find us online or in the pews for the 8 a.m. Mass -
You're Invited -To Be An Angel!
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Next Training ~ March 129 to Noon on Zoom
Become a Gabriel Angel to an expectant or current mother in need through our St. Austin Catholic Parish Gabriel Project. New volunteer training is scheduled for March 12 from 9 a.m. to noon via Zoom.
Learn how you can provide support and prayer for a mother and her family and help with her parenting education, emotional, material and spiritual needs for the best family life possible. The St. Austin Gabriel Project is only able to advocate for and serve these families through the works of mercy by Gabriel Angel volunteers.
For more information and questions, please contact St. Austin Gabriel Project Coordinator Carmen Adams at 512-417-8309 or training instructor Karen Candelas at (512) 651-6176 or karen-candelas@ccctx.org.
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Gabriel Project Graduation
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Congratulations!
The Gabriel Project proudly congratulates 18 moms on their graduation from the program in January. It's the largest graduating class ever! The Gabriel Project provides educational, emotional, material, and spiritual support to mothers in crisis or unexpected pregnancies. Gabriel Angels have the privilege of journeying with moms from the time they learn they are expecting, through the births, and until their children reach two years of age.
Initially moms seek essential baby supplies, however, by the end of the program they’re delighted to know that they’ve gained a trusted advocate, mentor, and spiritual warrior through our Angel volunteers. This group of moms are extraordinary examples of faith, hope and perseverance. They perservered through many more challenges than usual due to COVID-19 in February 2020 and all that came with it (death of family member, job loss, accumulation of bills, etc.). When Catholic Charities Gabriel Life Center closed temporarily in July 2020, some experienced a sudden loss of assistance until they were referred to our parish Gabriel Project.
Life isn't perfect but these parents are in much better circumstances than when they first knocked on our door for assistance. Some babies were even baptized at St. Austin.
Congratulations, Gabriel Project Moms! May the Lord bless you and your family. May He keep you in His care and continue to be the way, the truth, and the life in your lives!
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Here are some sentiments from our graduates:
“We can’t thank you enough and are so very grateful for all the baby supplies and everything that the Gabriel Project, the parish and parish members did for me and my family during our time of crisis.”
“I’m a little sad that our time has come to an end because I’ve enjoyed the friendship and relationship with my Angel that developed during my time in the program.”
“Your Gabriel Project program helped our family so much and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
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Texas Rally For Life
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January 22, 2022
It was a beautiful day for the Texas March & Rally for Life at the State Capitol on Saturday, January 22, with a great lineup of speakers, including Bishop Joe Vásquez leading the opening prayer, Governor Greg Abbott, and Claire Culwell, an abortion survivor. Gabriel Angels, Elizabeth Cole, Veronica Lents and Nancy Schultz attended the March & Rally from 1-4pm where they also helped staff the St. Gabriel Pregnancy & Parenting table at the Pro-Life Expo. The rally sponsored a Texas-Sized Diaper Drive for attendees to bring diapers and wipes to distribute to state-wide pregnancy centers and life-affirming organizations like the St. Austin Gabriel Project which was a recipient of some of those diapers!
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About the Gabriel Project at St. Austin
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"Do not be afraid for nothing is impossible for God." ~ Luke 1:30 & 37
Through the Gabriel Project, members of the local parish community provide a “Good Samaritan” approach to.
Our response demonstrates the infinite healing love of God. Through the Gabriel Project, new parents receive loving care, spiritual, emotional and material support.
The St. Austin Catholic Parish Gabriel Project is:
Pastoral - the community provides assistance to women and families in difficult or unanticipated pregnancies in a loving, unconditional, nonjudgmental manner.
Evangelical - Gabriel Project volunteers announce the good news of Jesus Christ through the care they offer to those in need of assistance, and witness to the whole community the infinite and healing love of God.
Educational - The parish community proclaims the truth of the dignity of each human person made in the image and likeness of God by its commitment to those that are in need. Our Earn While You Learn (EWYL) program offers educational instruction to help families parent effectively, gain knowledge and skills to help with family life and empower them to become self-sufficient and more independent.
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Are You an Angel?
The Angel Gabriel has always been a messenger of love. His first words, "Be Not Afraid" opened the door of love to a poor unwed mother, the Mother of God. The mission of the Gabriel Project is to plant the seed of God's love within the hearts of women who feel lost, alone and afraid — whether rich or poor, single, married, young or older. The need in an unplanned pregnancy is one of understanding and caring. We offer a resource network to support a mother's decision to choose life for their baby and give hope for the future.
At the heart of the Gabriel Project are the women (Gabriel Angels) and men (Michael Angels) volunteers who serve as mentors. A Coordinator, who is also a Gabriel Angel, manages the ministry at the parish level. The St. Austin Catholic Parish Gabriel Project ministry serves ZIP codes 78705, 78722, 78751 and 78756. Angels serving Gabriel Project clients are required to take Ethics and Integrity Training and Gabriel Angel Training. They are a living example of God's love and compassion to the women they serve.
Angels meet regularly with the expectant mother to help her identify, plan and set goals to obtain self sufficiency. The relationship can last through the duration of the pregnancy and until the baby is one year old.
To find out more about our ministry and becoming an Angel, please call the office to be connected with our Gabriel Project Coordinator, Carmen Adams."Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I dedicated you, . . ."- Jeremiah 1:5
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If you or someone you know are in need of emotional, spiritual or material support, the Gabriel Project can help.
Call the Gabriel Project help line at
512-236-1246
or toll-free at
1-877-WeCare2.
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Support mothers in need, Please add these always in demand items to your online shoppin list:
- Diapers (sizes 4, 5, and 6)
- Baby Wipes (please no Hill Country or Parents Choice brands)
- Costco, Walmart or other gift cards to purchase maternity and baby supplies
Please have your gifts shipped to:
St. Austin Catholic Parish
Attention: Gabriel Project
500 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Austin, TX 78701-1261
512.477.9471Items can also be dropped off at the parish office. Please call the office first.
Thank you!
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- To offer hope and support to mothers and fathers during and after the pregnancy, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy.
- To provide assistance in a confidential and non-judgmental manner.
- To strengthen families so that children can grow in a nurturing environment.
- To provide life-affirming support for those facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies.
- To witness to the community a respect and reverence for all human life.
- To advance the teaching of the Church regarding the gift of life.
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Following the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 which made abortion legally permissible in all the States, the Rev. Msgr. John Perusina, late pastor of St. Michael Parish on Sage Road in Houston, put a sign outside the rectory which said: If you will have your baby, this parish will help you in every way.
That is what prepared the way for The Gabriel Project. In 1990, Cathy McConn from Houston and her friend, Rex Moses from Corpus Christi, saw the sign and The Gabriel Project was developed throughout the Galveston-Houston and Corpus Christi dioceses. It has since spread throughout the country.
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