SALT LAKE CITY — A national ministry that seeks to provide solace and healing to those affected by abortion is coming to the Diocese of Salt Lake City.
Project Rachel, a post-abortion ministry founded in 1984 by Vickie Thorn, who was a diocesan prolife director for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, is described by the USCCB as a “diocesan-based network of specially trained priests, religious, counselors, and laypersons who provide a team response of care for those suffering in the aftermath of abortion. In addition to referring for Sacramental Reconciliation, the ministry provides an integrated network of services, including pastoral counseling, support groups, retreats and referrals to licensed mental health professionals.”
Project Rachel will begin this month in the Diocese of Salt Lake City thanks to the efforts of the Diocesan ProLife Coordinator Dr. Catherine Stokes and Amy Davis, a licensed professional clinical counselor. Davis will provide free counseling to anyone impacted by abortion, including mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings and former abortion workers. Davis will also provide counseling for women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. The confidential, one-on-one sessions will be offered at the diocesan Pastoral Center, 27 C Street, Salt Lake City.
“This is for anyone who has been negatively impacted by abortion,” said Davis, who is a convert to the Church. A Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner, she has volunteered her services to the diocese.
“I believe that abortion is a traumatic loss and people need support in grappling with that loss,” she said. “Society lies to individuals and tells them there isn’t a loss involved in abortion. When people are impacted by it, they learn otherwise. They realize that’s a lie and they need help.”
When Davis heard that there was a pro-life ministry in the diocese, she contacted Stokes and volunteered her time, she said. “For me personally, one of the beautiful things about coming into Catholicism is my growing awareness of Christ’s unfathomable mercy. ... Christ is a god of mercy and I want to be able to share that mercy with others who are feeling hopeless, somehow that they are outside God’s care because they participated in abortion.”
During the sessions, Davis will follow the policies of the diocese regarding social distancing due to the pandemic.
Davis also is seeking an individual who could voluntarily provide interpretation for Spanish-speaking clients. For information, contact her at 801-831-8705.
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