Pregnancy Crisis Inc (PCI) president Patti Camp said “time was ticking away” before the house, located at St Peter’s parish, Rochedale, on Brisbane’s southside, was demolished to make way for expansion at the school.
“It’s hard to say how much time we have to save the house,” Mrs Camp said.
“However, it’s not a lot as I understand the school is awaiting government approval to start extensions.
“Once this approval is received we will need land on which to locate the house straight away.
“This house is planned to be Queensland’s first Pregnancy Crisis support centre.
“It would be a terrible shame if it was to end up broken up in the back of a truck for lack of a place to locate it.”
Mrs Camp said a home to help pregnant women carry their babies to term and bring them alive into the world was essential if PCI was to effectively carry out its work.
“Many of these women have suffered violence and threats from their partners to force them to consider aborting their children,” she said.
“They need to know a safe haven exists so they can truly have a choice in the matter.”
Mrs Camp said several possible options had come up with land under consideration in several parish locations around Brisbane.
However, in some cases major decision makers, the parish priests, were away for several weeks and in one case parish council approval would also have to be considered.
“So we’re covering all bases by sending out this appeal for a location,” she said.
“Also, if land is available in time we will need donations to help move and re-establish the house.”
PCI has gone from strength to strength since Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane officially launched it last November.
In July this year organisers held a successful fundraising dinner which enabled PCI to run for another year.
At the time Mrs Camp noted that PCI had assisted a number of women with unplanned pregnancies which had already resulted in the birth of several children.
In one case a PCI member was praying outside an abortion clinic and after speaking to a young woman outside was able to encourage her to continue with her pregnancy rather than having an abortion.
The woman went on to have a baby boy and is now being supported by PCI.
Since November the organisation’s membership has grown to about 125 with a further 225 supporters.
Mrs Camp was recently invited to address a Catholic Women’s League conference in Ayr attended by 150 women from north Queensland on the work being done by the PCI.
She and husband Alan last week also addressed a group of students from the Newman Society at the University of Queensland on the organisation’s work as well as giving an outline of the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn and PCI.
The inaugural meeting of the Sunshine Coast group was held in Nambour earlier this month and Mrs Camp said requests have been made to start a Cairns branch.
Typical comments from those attending meetings are that “it’s wonderful to see a group of Catholics engaged in this sort of work” and that “practical support of this nature can certainly assist women to make real choices in this matter”, Mrs Camp said.
PCI provides 24-hours-a-day service, seven days a week, 365 days a year to support women needing help.
Services range from provision of trained support personnel for women with crisis pregnancies, baby packs for impoverished families and short-term crisis accommodation.
In May the organisation became a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) which means that all donations of more than $2 are tax deductible.
For precise details of the services offered, contact Patti Camp via email at pcrisis@bigpond.com
