St. Mary’s Home for Mothers
Gabriel Project Kansas City led the acquisition of the acreage and existing house that is in the process of becoming the brand new St. Mary’s Home for Mothers. Modeled after — and with the enthusiastic support of — successful maternity homes in other cities, St. Mary’s will serve concurrently up to 15 homeless, pregnant adult women and their children. At present, there is no residence for pregnant, homeless women in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area even though social service agencies encounter about fifty such women each year. St. Mary’s will go a long way fill this critical gap with a safe and dignified place for at least some of these women to each live safely and create a path to a productive, independent life for her family.
Our Property
The new St. Mary’s Home for Mothers is a 2-story, 15,000 sq. ft. house on 13.7 acres east of Liberty, MO. It was designed by Mike Jantz, RHS Class of ’73, for the order of Benedictine Sisters as Queen of Angels Monastery. It was completed in 2001 and occupied by the Sisters until 2017. At this time, it was put up for sale due to the dwindling population of religious sisters and the expenses of upkeep. In March 2021, it was purchased by generous benefactors to be turned in to a home for homeless, pregnant mothers and their children.
The Gabriel Project Mission
The Gabriel Project KC is a ministry of the Pro-Life Office in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Respect Life Office in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, providing assistance to pregnant women in need. GPKC funds Respect Life initiatives for pregnant mothers in need throughout the greater metropolitan area. We assist not only the nation-wide Gabriel Project ministry in general but other non-affiliated ministries that support pregnant mothers in need. More than linking mothers to community resources, we provide emotional, material and spiritual support for her choice to parent or place her baby for adoption.
GPKC initiated the creation of St. Mary’s Home for Mothers! GPKC was helping pregnant women in so many ways, but got frustrated with the lack of housing resources for women struggling with homelessness. St. Mary’s Home for Mothers is now its own agency but still partners with GPKC in many ways, such as monitoring of funding and utilizing the Angel Program.
The Angel Program
The Angel Program currently helps support up to 40 pregnant women in the Kansas City, KS and Kansas City-St. Joseph dioceses. When any pregnant woman in need calls for help, a trained volunteer, called an Angel, is assigned to the mother and is responsible for ongoing contact with her — not just up to the birth of her child but for as long as is necessary. The Respect Life Office for each diocese operates the Angel Program; GPKC provides financial and in-kind support. GPKC also enlists the church community, through which the mother receives additional love, care, and material, emotional and spiritual support. Please consider being an Angel to help our moms!
