Project Joseph Mentors

Project Joseph is a services and formation program for men facing crisis pregnancies. It is run by men for men.  Our mentors are volunteers from the community. 

WHAT WE DO

Project Joseph offers peer to peer mentoring for men who are about to become fathers, or who are already fathers. Through these lessons, Project Jospeh mentors will help men to discover the Fatherhood of God in their lives and draw from it to become good Christian fathers. 

WHERE AND HOW

The program operates out of the archdiocesan pregnancy help centers: Central Broward (Fort Lauderdale), South Broward (Hollywood), North Dade (Miami Gardens), South Dade, and North Broward (Margate).

There is no charge for the services that we provide.  Project Joseph is financed through grants and donations.

Project Joseph serves approximately 20 fathers per week, 50 weeks out of the year.  The only time the program is closed is during Holy Week and Christmas week.

WHO WE ARE

The Project is a joint venture between Respect Life Ministry Archdiocese of Miami and Franciscans of Life. The brothers provide initial and ongoing formation for the mentors.

Project Joseph is grounded in the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Fathers and mentors are brothers who walk side by side on this journey, as did Saint Francis of Assisi and those whom he and his brothers served. Like Saint Francis, they are here to serve, not to preach, teach, correct, discipline or be heard.  They preach the Gospel through their lives and through their unconditional love for every man whom they serve.  We train our mentors in the pastoral methods of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan Friar and patron of pro-life workers.

Like his spiritual father, Saint Francis, Saint Maximilian placed his trust in the Immaculate. He planted the seed and allowed her to guide him and those with whom he walked.  Like Christ, he was willing to lay down his life for his brother, especially if that brother was the father of a family.  Our mentors are formed in the spirit of total detachment from self and confidence in the Immaculate and Divine Providence.  We do what we need to do for the dads and we get out of God’s way.

REQUIREMENTS

The ideal volunteer is a Catholic man 25 or older, in good standing with the Church, who assents to the Church's moral teachings on the sanctity of life (in particular on the topics of abortion and sexual integrity). Our mentors are expected to be dedicated and patient. 

PROCESS

After an initial interview with the Project Director, you will attend a Project Joseph Workshop. The workshop will cover, among other things:

- Archdiocesan requirements for volunteering at Respect Life (including background check, Virtus training, Life Issues seminar)

- Serving fathers in Crisis Pregnancies

- The Franciscan pastoral approach to mentoring 

- Structure of Project Joseph

- Project Joseph scope and sequence

- Paperwork requirements (files for new and returning clients, session attendance, recording "parent dollars" earned, monthly census).

After attending this Workshop and having completed all the steps to become a Respect Life volunteer, you will be assigned by the Project Joseph Director to "shadow" a mentor until such time as you are ready for your assignment. 

The Project Director will then assign you to a Center, where you will report directly to that center's senior mentor.

SERVE WITH US

If you are a man in the Archdiocese of Miami, ask yourself if God is inviting you to help us proclaim the Gospel of life by walking with your brothers. Do not worry about not knowing what to do. We in the apostolate will walk with you. Contact Brother Jay at director@projectjoseph.org or call his assistant, Br. Bernardo, at 786-495-3426 for more information.