With the start of the Abortion Holocaust in America, there
arose the need to provide alternatives to women who chose to give the gift of
life to their children, rather than killing them by abortion. Pro-life groups began to establish
residencies, referred to as “Crisis Pregnancy homes.”
In the Philadelphia, PA area, the earliest of these Homes
included the Blessed Margaret of Castello Home in Bensalem and Our Lady’s House
in Glenside. These homes offer care and
shelter to the expectant mothers, and with the birth of the baby, the staff
would secure other living arrangements and support for the new family. The co-founder of Blessed Margaret Home, Mrs.
Patricia Dowling and its Administrator, Sr. Maryann Regensburger, S.Sp.S, conceived
the idea of establishing a home in a facility capable of accommodating not only
the mothers and babies, but also their small toddlers, if need be. The plan was to establish a long-term program
that would provide living arrangements to the women, their newborn babies,
along with their other children, for up to 18 months. They would also be encouraged in their spiritual
and economic development. This program
would be called “Guiding Star Ministries (GSM).”
The search for a proper facility led to St. Benedict’s
Parish in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia. Its pastor, Father George Moore, graciously
offered the use of the then vacant rectory.
On August 31, 1992, GSM officially opened in St. Benedict’s Rectory and
Sr. Maryann became its first administrator.
On October 8th of that year, the first resident arrived. On January 22, 1993, the first baby was
born.
The year 2013 finds GSM in its twentieth year of
operation. In this period, a loving home
has been provided to 230 women, 113 toddlers and 66 babies. Many of these residents have been re-united with
their families or have achieved independent living.
Financing the program has been an ongoing task. However, when the picture becomes really
bleak, the current Chairman, Patrick Stanton, assures the Board of Directors
that “God will provide.” Pat must be
correct, for GSM is still in operation.
Has it been worth it? The birth
of those babies alone, whose lives could have been sacrificed to the Abortion
Holocaust, gives witness to the success of this program.
If you would like to
make a donation to help keep this program running, you can send a check to
Guiding Star Ministries, P. O Box 19094, Philadelphia, PA 19138.
