(Follow along with our brief slide show.)
As you know, Mater Filius is the new home for pregnant moms and their children being built on St. Gabriel’s campus.
Our exciting news tonight: we are thrilled to share that construction at last will be complete and the house open by late this year!
As construction progressed, we’ve forged ahead: We’ve formed a fantastic team and have been collecting everything we need to set up the house and jump in as soon as construction is complete! We’ve hired our Housemothers and the leaders of our Kids’ programs, and many other key roles helping behind the scenes.
Mater Filius means Mother and Child. We love both the mother and her children. And thanks to Our Lady, we will soon be able to serve them both in a way that concretely demonstrates that love. Our program goes well beyond housing, with support to help each mom build her own PATH- personal actions toward happiness – so that she and her family can thrive on their own.
This whole effort is indeed a project of the Sweet Love of Mary, and the mission she has given us is to Defend Life with Love. And I truly mean that she has given US – all of us – this mission to DEFEND LIFE WITH LOVE.
So here’s how She may be calling YOU
- We have many volunteers but need MANY more! Our team is not complete without all of YOU! A couple of key roles are still available and many ongoing positions, from praying at home to working on site with our moms and kids. Now is the time to get in your applications! Learn more on our Get Involved page on our website.
- Help supply our Wish Lists of all the items and furnishings we need to set up the house, the kids program and our boutique. Find them on our Give page. We can’t open without these items to make the house a home!
- Parishes – partner with us to PRAY, provide ongoing funding, events, or specific projects, like making our layettes or welcome bags.
- Funds for Operations – we have an on-ramp for supporting our first year’s budget but supporting us with one-time donations – or even better, becoming a Life Defender Pledge Partner – will help us budget and provide the best possible programming for our moms.
- PRAYER – Most importantly, please pray for
- Smooth progress on finalizing the construction, safety of the workers, and removal of any potential barriers to finishing everything perfectly
- For the current and future team, and your own involvement
- For the future moms and kids who will live and thrive at Mater Filius
- Most especially, for all the pregnant moms and kids RIGHT NOW who need support. On the screen are one icon for each of the many women who have contacted us in the past year who would otherwise be living in our home if we had been open. We provided solid referrals to find other help, but all will benefit from your loving prayers
Finally, as I shared at our ground blessing, please keep in mind that we together are not just building a BUILDING.
- We are building a FORTRESS – in defense of life with love;
- We are building a COMMUNITY – of all of us involved;
- We are building a SAFE HAVEN for those who need peace and safety and rest;
- We are building STRUCTURE for those who may have never known it;
- We are building a PATH FORWARD with brave moms who are ready for change;
- We are building NEW FUTURES that will affect generations and provide them a path to eternal life;
- We are building a HOME for those who, like our Lord, had no place to lay their heads;
- And perhaps most importantly for the moms and kids who will live here, we are building HOPE – for those who mistakenly thought there was none.
Thank you for responding to Our Lord and Lady’s call to be a part of our Mater Filius Family, and for Defending Life with Love.
