Brief Summary of Northern Illinois Project Gabriel

Project Gabriel is a group of parishes standing together in their commitment to offer assistance to women and families facing crisis pregnancies.  Woman's Choice Services, a pregnancy center network operated in the Catholic Christian tradition, is proud to provide critical support and administration for the project.  Northern Illinois Project Gabriel is co-sponsored by Woman's Choice Services and the Respect Life Offices of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Joliet, and the Diocese of Rockford.

Participating congregations "advertise" their commitment to those who are pregnant by placing Signs of Life in the community.  Car bumper magnets and stickers are the primary form of advertisement for the project.  These magnets generate many calls for assistance, save lives, and evangelize the project.  The bumper magnets say, "Pregnant?  Need Help?  Please call us: 888-4-HOPE-4-1."

The hotline (888-4-HOPE-4-1) is answered by a trained volunteer consultant who will help assess the needs of the caller.  Depending on her needs, she may be referred for an in-person visit to Woman's Choice Services or a nearby pregnancy help center, to a local Gabriel church, and to other community resources.  Sometimes the connection is continued for days or weeks.  Sometimes the pregnant mother will be assigned to a church, but sometimes she will be able to proceed without further assistance.  If she has had previous abortions, she will be invited to learn more about the appropriate post-abortive ministry.

Each participating church community, through their trained representatives called "Angels," will meet with a mother referred to them for help.  Angels are friends, whose job it is to walk alongside the mother—to accompany her, pray for and with her, and encourage her on her journey.  The goals of the first meeting between the Angels and the mother are the following: to allow the mother to experience the grace of God through prayer and the loving kindness of the people of the Church; to plan for her specific, pregnancy-related needs; and, to encourage the mother to seek God's pathway for her life and her baby.  She is not forced to attend Mass or to convert. 

The role of the Church community is to pray for and support the mother and baby emotionally and spiritually, along with praying for and assisting the Angels and the Project Gabriel Team in their specific ministry to the mother and baby.  If you feel the call to explore service as a Gabriel Angel, we invite you to attend a regional Angel training session.  For more information on this vital ministry or to attend a training session, please contact Woman's Choice Services (630-261-9564).

Angel Gabriel, God chose you to bring the messages of St. John the Baptist’s
conception to his father, & of Jesus’ incarnation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He
chose you to tell them to “Be not afraid” to give them strength, & to reveal to them the truth of His Love. Please pray with the Virgin Mary to God for the unborn, the parents of the unborn, those working for life, and for me, to increase our love, to renew our courage, and to advise & comfort us in our trials, our problems, & in sharing Christ’s Love.     Amen