.- A
relatively new ministry is offering men the opportunity to heal after
an abortion. Project Joseph is a Catholic Charities ministry offered to
men who have experienced abortions. The ministry is groundbreaking in
that it cuts through the stereotype that only women suffer the effects
of abortion.
This stereotype is false, Pat Klausner told Kansas City’s diocesan newspaper, The Leaven.
“Men are deeply affected,” attested Klausner, the coordinator of Project Joseph. “I’ve had grown men cry in my office.”
One of the
reasons some men feel guilty over an abortion is because they have
sometimes pressured their partner into intercourse and then to abort
when their partner got pregnant. They might also feel guilty because
they may not have wanted an abortion, but felt unprepared for
fatherhood. And while these men find themselves initially relieved when
their partner chooses abortion, they are later beset by feelings of
guilt.
However,
regardless of their initial reaction, Klausner told the Leaven, men
inevitably experience regret, remorse and guilt.
Project Joseph
was launched in 2002 by Klausner and Fr. Peter Jaramillo, then-pastor
of St. Paul Parish in Olathe, Kansas. Both had attended conferences
designed to promote healing for women who had experienced an abortion,
and both had observed that there were always some men in attendance,
seeking healing as well. They decided there was a need to address the
pain of post-abortive men as well.
Project Rachel,
geared toward the healing of post-abortive women, originated 25 years
ago in Milwaukee and has spread to more than 100 U.S. dioceses in the
United States.
But, to date,
Project Joseph is unique to Kansas City. It offers Catholics and
non-Catholics four to five weekly sessions that consist of group
discussions, exercises and Scripture readings — all designed to begin
the healing process.
Klausner
estimated that 20 men have gone through the sessions. Part of the
reason for the low turnout is that many men involved in abortion remain
in denial.
“Many men want
to bury the issue,” Klausner told the Leaven. “But it’s such a deep
wound that you can’t help but experience trauma. We fail to realize God
has wired us in a certain way. Men are programmed to procreate and
women to nurture. Abortion goes against the very fiber of our being.”
For more information, contact: [email protected]
Project Joseph offers men chance to heal after abortion
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