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St Joseph’s Centre of Hope for Women, a pregnancy care centre in downtown Toronto is situated beside Cabbagetown Women’s Clinic, an abortuary that performs abortion up until 24 weeks. The location of this pregnancy centre is crucial to pro-lifers due to the bubble zone legislation prohibiting pro-lifers from praying or conversing with abortion-minded women.
According to Frank D’Angelo, the centre’s co-founder, due to the close proximity to the clinic, women have walked in by mistake to St Joseph’s Centre of Hope for Women and discovered resources available for pregnant women and moms.
D’Angelo, who serves as president of the non-profit, saw the need to occupy the space after seeing it empty for a year after Aid to Women moved to the west side of the city. He decided to entrust its success to Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Joseph. It opened in early 2023 and has been operating for more than a year-and-half.
St Joseph’s Centre of Hope for Women helps single or low-income mothers who find themselves in crisis. According to its website, it offers a safe space for women to discuss all their options and provides practical, medical, financial, and emotional support for mother and child.
D’Angelo’s next steps are to make the building as bright and full of life as possible in hopes of “planting seeds of life to those walking by as well as the workers next door.”
The centre is aware that it has saved five human beings since it opened. On-going services provide support after the baby is born through referrals to postnatal care, day-care, housing, and continuing education.
While Campaign Life Coalition interns were visiting the site in July, a couple stopped by the centre and D’Angelo provided them with supplies for their baby at home without hesitation.
St Joseph’s Centre of Hope for Women envisions itself as making mothers feel accepted, taken care of and supported. A sign in the front entrance says “It takes a village to raise a child. Welcome to the Village.”
