Summer & Longer Good Counsel Volunteer Workers Internship Programme

I have been amazed to find that nearly every day a woman outside an abortion clinic turns and chooses to take up our offer of help instead of going in for an abortion. 

Jess Almeida, Good Counsel Intern, now Sr Jess of the 

Sisters of the Gospel of Life, Glasgow.

Left Baby "Marla" whose mum chose life

Looking for an interesting and challenging project for the summer? Or for the next few months? Volunteer for Good Counsel's Intern Programme or the Summer Mini-Internship and learn how to take part in front line prolife work in a peaceful and prayerful Catholic atmosphere. It can be very hard work but it also has been extremely fruitful in terms of the number of babies saved and extremely fruitful in the lives of those involved in the programme. It has also been a decisive moment in the lives of some of our interns, helping them to discern their future careers or vocations. Some interns have gone on to work long-term for the Good Counsel Network, or for other pro-life groups. Some have discovered a vocation. Others want to take the skills they have learned back to their own countries or towns.

 

Interns working together

Full Internships (3 months)

Interns volunteer full time with us and have the opportunity to learn:

                How to start and run a successful Crisis Pregnancy Centre

                How to start and run a vigil at an abortion centre

                How to run a 40 Days for Life campaign

                How to advise and support a pregnant woman in a crisis

                How to remain faithful to the Catholic Church’s teachings in all aspects of your                       prolife work

Internships are offered for a 3 month periods. Interns live in London and receive a subsistence allowance, travel expenses and free accommodation. They live as part of a community, praying and working together. There are men’s and women’s intern houses.

 Interns socialising together

Summer Mini-Internships (4-6 weeks)

Summer mini-internships last from 4-6 weeks and provide a basic grounding in running vigils and basic skills for offering women alternatives to abortion, as well as a grounding in pro-life issues such as the law on abortion in the UK, the law in practise, foetal development and abortion.

Accommodation and allowances are the same as for the full internship (above). Mini-internships are available between June and September only.

If you are interested, please email fredathome2@yahoo.co.uk and send your CV or a covering letter with a brief outline of your work history, studies, plans and the reasons for your interest in the Programme.

More Interns working hard...

 “It was an honour to get to walk mothers through a difficult time in their lives. To help mothers who have had abortions towards healing. And it was an honour to get to hold the babies who otherwise wouldn’t be there. To be a part of the story of people whose lives are going to change the world somehow just because they got the chance to live.”

                                                                                               Charis, Good Counsel Intern

Clare McCullough

Help We're Short-Handed

Today will be one of our busiest days of the year. We are expecting about 30 Mothers and more children to come and celebrate at our preparing for Christmas party, where thanks to your generosity, each Mother will receive some Christmas groceries and thanks to volunteers and one generous parish, Christmas presents for Mums and children.

Today, also, our 4 day a week vigil continues outside the abortuary in Whitfield St. Can you help? We need people between 10 and 1.30 especially.

Lastly we are in the midst of mailing out our Christmas newsletter. Come and help us post it out in time for Christmas if you can. Give us a call on 020 7723 1740 if you can.

All this plus our normal work of advising, helping and supporting expectant and new Mothers.

We also have some staff on holidays so we are very short-handed. Please help if you can. We really need you!

Clare McCullough

Life at the Good Counsel Network.

I like to start the day by going into the Chapel to say a small prayer to ask God for His guidance to do His will. It's not always possible if the phone starts ringing before I get there but I prefer to do this . Most days there will be alot of multi-tasking such as thanking our supporters by hand, updating our database and mailing list, answering the Centre phone, booking in appointments for mothers we are helping and for new clients. There is also helping with the mothers queries and passing on messages. As I am on reception I do greet the clients and mothers and their children and make them tea and coffee etc. I also do a bit of typing and photocopying where necessary. I help with the mail-outs when necessary.

Its great that we have our Chapel and I can look forward to going to Mass almost every day that I am there, usually three days a week. And then we have Adoration frequently so it's a great blessing to be able to attend Mass and Adoration in the same day (if there is someone to cover the phone and reception while Im in the Chapel). I like to pray especially for our work and the mums in need that we help and especially for those who are seeking abortion that their precious babies will be saved, and for the conversion of their parents.

The busiest times are the monthly Mother's Meetings when all the mums are invited to attend with their children. Its good that we can hire a hall nearby now, so that there is plenty of room for the children to play. We often get given lots of toys and baby goods so we have been distributing them to the mums at the meetings. I remember one Christmas arriving at the door when there were so many mums already waiting, they had come early very keen to get to our Centre on time. They really look forward to it and it's great to see so many of them making friends and helping each other in any way that they can. We always have Mass for them to attend after a guest speaker talks to them usually about religious topics. After Mass we serve them with lunch and then they have the opportunity to chat among themselves, or to speak to an Advisor. Gifts are given and we try to make sure everyone has something to go home with. There are nice, special gifts at Christmas donated by supporters and by the Good Counsel. It's really good to see them having a nice time and enjoying themselves together with their children and with ourselves.

Lorraine Coyne