"Our mission is to receive
with open arms the most
abandoned souls. There is
no misery, no spiritual
wound that we ought not
to seek to heal with
God's grace"

- St. Mary Euphrasia, our
dear mother and foundress
of the Sisters of the
Good Shepherd

Mission
Bethesda, The House of Mercy is a ministry of The Community of Jesus, the Living Mercy, a lay community within the world-wide Good Shepherd family of ministries and communities. Founded in 1990 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Bethesda provides a community of healing and a sanctuary of hope for persons wounded by abortion. Through a process of reconciliation women are restored to the dignity of their calling to be bearers of Christ’s life and love to the world and men are strengthened to protect the dignity of women through a life dedicated to honor, purity and truth.

As women who have walked the healing journey after abortion, we recognize that abortion is a cry of desperation, a lack or lapse of faith in the saving love and mercy of God, the Author all life in whose image we are created. Abortion is a profound failure to love and to be loved and rejects the intimacy God offers to us through the Incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ. The emotional and spiritual suffering that follows an abortion results from this estrangement from Divine Love.

We believe that the essence of post-abortion healing invokes a restoration of the wounded soul unto the mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who came to heal the brokenhearted. Jesus initiates and completes this healing by inviting those persons who have been wounded by abortion to enter a loving relationship with Him. As an instrument of God’s love, the Bethesda community enables them to choose this relationship through a process of reconciliation. To paraphrase the words of St. Mary Euphrasia, the foundress of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd: We do not possess riches, talents or any exterior attraction, but we will always love with all the strength of our souls.

This ministry is a multi-dimensional process utilizing the gifts of clergy, religious, lay volunteers and professionals in a unified effort for the salvation and sanctification of those suffering from post-abortion trauma. The goal of this process is to lead those wounded by abortion from the darkness of their suffering to the light of God’s merciful gift of salvation and unconditional love by reconciling with God, self, others and the aborted child.

The Bethesda community understands that many women who have experienced abortion have little understanding of God’s love or perhaps may have rejected His love because of past emotional and spiritual wounds suffered from the failure of others to love them as God intended them to be loved. Feelings of alienation, fear and hopelessness are common. However, when someone seeks help from Bethesda- The House of Mercy, we recognize that they have accepted the need for help and are beginning to respond to the Spirit of Christ, who invites them to reconciliation and new life.

We have placed Bethesda - The House of Mercy under the protection of the Holy archangels, Saint Michael, the Guardian of Souls, Saint Gabriel, the strong man of God and Saint Raphael, the Angel of Joy, whose name means "God has healed."