A new MaroniteCare initiative in Sydney is providing care and support to women encountering hardships in pregnancy, postnatal care and beyond. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Before Betty (named changed) took the “abortion pill” to end her pregnancy, she had been told the process would be simple with “some bleeding and pain”.
She says what came instead was a wave of unbearable physical, emotional, and spiritual anguish that her alone, grieving and suicidal.
Over the months that followed, Betty said she was abandoned by her partner and the medical system, which further deepened her pain until, by God’s grace, she found the courage to go to confession.
At that moment, Betty made the decision to reach out to Teresa’s Centre, a safe haven for women facing unexpected pregnancies, post-abortion grief, and other situations of abandonment and vulnerability.
Through prayer, trauma counselling, and ongoing pastoral care, Betty began the long road to healing; drawing strength from knowing she is a forgiven, deeply loved daughter of God.
Teresa’s Centre has gone on to help many more women like Betty, since it opened its doors earlier this year within the St John Paul II Maronite Parish in Ryde, in Sydney’s northwest.
It offers women a safe, non-judgmental environment where they can receive the emotional and spiritual support they need in order to make informed decisions and navigate their journey with confidence and hope.
It also offers assistance in the form of baby goods, maternity items, and food assistance, classes to help expectant mothers prepare for childbirth and motherhood, and a new fatherhood program designed to engage and encourage men to grow in responsibility and presence in their children’s lives.
FULL STORY
Celebrating ‘quiet miracles’ with Teresa’s Centre (By Matthew de Sousa, The Catholic Weekly)
