Project Rachel

 

 Life is Precious  +  Pledge a Rosary for Life  +  Reconciliation

National Project Rachel Site  +  Project Rachel Site in Virginia

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A Loving, Forgiving Church

 

Without a doubt, abortion is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can have.  Both before and after abortion, feelings of fear, anxiety, guilt, panic and pressure are common - not only for the woman who undergoes the abortion but also for the father of the unborn child, the grandparents, close friends, even medical personnel.

 

For Catholics, the pain of abortion can be intensified by a sense of alienation from God and Church.  If you are in this position, we want you to know that your Church understands and cares.  We are a loving and forgiving Church, reaching out to you in compassion and concern.

 

Above all, we want to help you through the healing process.  Accordingly, the Diocese of La Crosse invites you to participate in Project Rachel, a post-abortion reconciliation program.  Through the project, some 37 priests have received special training to minister the Sacrament of Reconciliation to people who have been involved in an abortion.

 

Project Rachel is named for the Old Testament figure who wept inconsolably over the loss of her child.  Modeled after similar efforts in several other dioceses, the program here is co-sponsored by the Diocesan Respect Life Committee and the Offices of Justice and Peace and Family Life.

 

What You Can Expect

 

Project Rachel, like the Sacrament it includes, is a sensitive, private and confidential experience.  If you wish, you can be put in touch with a priest outside your home community.  Your meetings with the priest will focus on preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Generally, the process will include counseling, prayer and scripture.

 

Also available to you as part of Project Rachel is assistance from professional counselors.  Such counseling before and/or after the Sacrament of Reconciliation, can help you sort through your feelings and deal with unresolved conflicts.

 

In brief, Project Rachel represents a means for you to receive the healing grace of God as well as official Church forgiveness for abortion.  It allow you, in a caring and hopeful context, to move toward reconciliation -- with yourself, your unborn child, your family, your Church, your God.

 

How to Begin

 

To initiate your participation in Project Rachel, you are asked to contact Catholic Charities for referral to a priest.  Your contact can be by telephone or letter.

 

Catholic Charities has been furnished with complete lists of priests who have agreed to take part in Project Rachel and have received special training for this program.  (All priests of the Diocese have general faculties to minister the Sacrament of Reconciliation following abortion.)  Here is contact information:

 

If you live in a different Diocese, you might want to contact a priest of your Diocese or your Diocesan Offices for information of what is available in your area.

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