Good Counsel Homes is a private Catholic agency whose primary mission is to help homeless pregnant women by providing a loving family environment in a safe and secure shelter. Begun in 1985 by Friar Benedict Groeschel and Christopher Bell, both leaders in the pro-life movement, Good Counsel has grown to five homes in the New York greater metropolitan area.

Our Lumina ministry has developed an outstanding program for those suffering as a result of a past abortion, through retreats as well as educational and training outreach. Theresa Bonopartis, our director, and co-developer of the “Entering Canaan” post-abortion ministry with The Sisters of Life, has also, with The Franciscan Friars of Renewal, expanded the program with Lumina, to assist post-abortive men and siblings, and those who have aborted because of an adverse diagnosis.

How do we accomplish our mission?

Love, support and other tools are needed for stability and success.
Good Counsel's staff surrounds our mothers with unconditional love. To figure out how we can best help each mother, Good Counsel evaluates the whole person by assessing her life skills, literacy level and personality. Women receive educational and vocational assistance and professional counseling. Mothers staying with us are able to learn a trade and map out goals to achieve while at Good Counsel and when they move on to new, independent lives.

Our 24/7 hotline.

Many of the women who come to Good Counsel have been rejected by their families, friends and the fathers of their children. Good Counsel reaches out to women nationwide with a toll-free crisis pregnancy hotline (800-723-8331) that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Referrals to regional assistance programs

Whether a woman calling for help is near a Good Counsel home or not, we can refer her to a more local organization, so that no mother is ever turned away. We provide referrals and resources to anyone who needs them, with a promise of confidentiality and always with respect.

Three key programs:

• Life Skills Program
  This in-house program prepares residents for independent living by covering topics such as Parenting, Spirituality, Health and AIDS Education, Career Development and Financial Management.
• Exodus
  Through this program, mothers participate in certain programs even after leaving a Good Counsel home so that they still receive transitional support.
• Technology
  The Internet is an essential tool in today's world. Good Counsel mothers are taught how to utilize our computer labs and the internet to advance their educational goals, search for employment, post their resumes online and much more.

Post-abortive counseling and a referral program

Good Counsel's Lumina program fills a void in the modern world, helping post-abortive women and men find healing. A confidential post-abortion counseling and referral program, Lumina allows us to touch the lives of those dealing with the after-effects of abortion. Lumina Program
Email Lumina.  877.Lumina-1  or  877.586.4621