Project Rachel

Project Rachel

What is Project Rachel?
	A post abortion ministry for women and men suffering from the trauma of abortion who are offered a context of faith and ritualization of God’s loving mercy and call to forgiveness. In the Catholic context, priests who are specially trained journey with the person through the healing process by way of an innovative development
of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, linking together psychological counseling, reconciliation, and pastoral support in the process. Project Rachel is the Church’s way of saying to people suffering from the aftermath of an abortion, “Welcome Home!”

Post abortion counseling:

	Post abortion guilt is totally unrelated to religious belief. Agnostics and the unchurched have no less guilt about their abortions than their churched peers. Further, grief and anger are equally crucial components of post abortion trauma.
	Overwhelming research evidence calls for similar ministry in every faith tradition. Post abortion syndrome is not a uniquely Catholic problem.
	Working relationships can be established with individual clergy and counselors in other religions. Each faith tradition offers a method for ritualizing forgiveness.
	Professional counseling linked to spiritual reconciliation knows no denominational boundaries, but the counseling must respect and understand the faith of the client in order to speed healing.
	The Pro Life Office is the Diocesan Resource Center for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Project Rachel outreach program. Within the Cleveland Diocese, there are priests and lay ecclesial ministers trained and willing to serve in Project Rachel counseling for post-abortive men and women. The Diocese also has a professional clinical counselors list for those who need their expertise.

What is Project Rachel’s foundation?

Jeremiah 31: 15-17

Thus says the Lord:
In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning,
of bitter weeping!
Rachel mourns her children,
she refuses to be consoled
because her children are no more.
Thus says the Lord:
Cease your cries of mourning,
wipe the tears from your eyes.
The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward,
says the Lord,
they shall return from the enemy’s land.
There is hope for your future,
says the Lord;
Your children shall return to their own borders.

(Mt 2:18 applies this verse to the slaughter of the innocents by Herod,
viewing the massacre of infants as a guarantee of God’s action to create the
new people of God through Jesus.)

Faith in the Lord’s forgiveness and hope in the future. Offering them hope rooted in God’s forgiveness is the first step to healing.

The important spiritual component is the walk to the forgiveness of God.

The following websites provide information on this topic:

Hope After Abortion
www.hopeafterabortion.com
It is normal to grieve after an abortion. This site provides information and resources to help those who are hurting psychologically. Also, locate any Project Rachel program in the United States.

Read the following article on Post Abortion Healing:

“Understanding Abortion’s Aftermath”

Find a Project Rachel anywhere in the United States:

“What is Project Rachel?”

National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation & Healing www.marquette.edu/rachel
There is a wide variety of symptoms of abortion's aftermath, ranging from mild grief to profound reactions which may include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This Office provides a national "800" referral line for those seeking assistance in reconciling an abortion experience.