Rachel’s Vineyard was established in the United States by a trainee Catholic psychotherapist who was silenced after noticing that her clients who had eating disorders all had one thing in common: abortion. Rachel’s Vineyard is now in over 80 countries and in 35 languages. The need for this healing ministry truly is universal. Rachel’s Vineyard supports those affected by the trauma of abortion. This can be the mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, other family members and abortion workers.
I went on a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat in Ireland in 2008, seeking healing for two past abortions. Rachel’s Vineyard had already started in the UK around the same time, but I chose to go to Ireland as I had met the priest from the Irish team in the Sacrament of Reconciliation whilst on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje.
Although I accept responsibility for the two abortions I had as a teenager, I now see how they were trauma responses to other issues I had not dealt with. I was grieving the children that could have been and not the children that were and are in heaven. On retreat, I explained that I no longer could be a mum due to a botched abortion experience and the priest on the retreat told me, “Rachel, it’s not that you could have been a mum, but you are a mum.” This melted and healed my broken heart. I had abortions because I didn’t want to be a mum, but abortions didn’t solve that problem… it just mean I was mother to children killed in abortion, who are in heaven and love me and Jesus’ scandalous mercy means I am forgiven.
After my own powerful experience at Rachel’s Vineyard, I wanted to be part of this ministry, but I waited for God to show me that this was His will. After a number of years of this desire growing within me, I was invited to start a Rachel’s Vineyard team in Birmingham in 2016 and started training and running retreats. Due to the demand for support, I gave up teaching and lived on providence and began the journey of making Rachel’s Vineyard UK a charity so that it could grow and meet an increasing demand. We are now a registered charity who support and help other teams to set up across the UK.
Rachel’s Vineyard is primarily known for the retreats that we run, but we do far more than this. We know that healing and faith is a journey, and we help people both before and long after the retreats. Some things that we are able to offer thanks to the support of generous benefactors are:
Rachel’s Vineyard truly is the work of the Holy Spirit, operating with the support of the Catholic Church in this country. We believe that we are a part of the battle between good and evil, and so a major obstacle that we face is that of spiritual attack or oppression. There is a personal cost to doing this work and it certainly only is for those who have been called to bear it.
The other challenge we face is the sheer number of people who will potentially need the support of Rachel’s Vineyard in the future. Each year we are ministering to a greater number of people than the last, and with the ever-rising abortion figures, there seems to be no end to this trajectory in the near future. This has financial implications which can be a challenge to continue to fund and make this ministry more sustainable to be able to meet demands in the long-term.
The grant we received from the Guild has specifically contributed to funding ongoing therapeutic support for those who require additional support after attending a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat. Although the retreat alone is incredibly powerful and healing, for some it unearths deeper traumas, perhaps abuse or neglect that set them up to choose abortion later in life.
In order to help these participants break free from toxic cycles and to remove the chance of repeated abortions (which are a sign that significant trauma has occurred and an attempt to change the outcome or reenact what has happened), professional support is required.
We work with a small number of qualified Catholic psychotherapists who are aligned with the vision and values of Rachel’s Vineyard and financially contribute to this support when it would otherwise stop the person accessing therapy.
We see two sides of this at Rachel’s Vineyard. Firstly, many people contact us because they have had a conversion experience and have seen the reality of abortion and the impact it has had on their life, they are repentant and see the retreat as an opportunity to ‘put things right with God’.
Secondly, we encounter many people who believe the lie that they have committed ‘the unforgivable sin’ and so have distanced themselves from Jesus Christ and His Church for many years. By participating in the Rachel’s Vineyard retreat weekend and witnessing the miracles taking place in the lives of others on the retreats, their hard hearts soften and many leave with a newfound faith.
We work tirelessly to water these ‘green shoots’ of faith and support people to explore their faith through online Alpha courses and Lectio Divina groups, as well as by connecting them with local active Catholic Parishes and new movements such as Youth 2000.
Our hope is that one day, Rachel’s Vineyard will not be needed as abortion will be unthinkable, but whilst the devil prowls, we will be the hands and feet of Jesus for the men and women wounded by abortion.
We hope to be able to increase the number of places that Rachel’s Vineyard can offer each year, and we see the way to doing this sustainably and safely as having our own retreat house where retreats could be facilitated regularly.
Our plan is to continue growing by increasing our capacity and raising up new retreat facilitators; and spreading awareness of the work of Rachel’s Vineyard so that those who are in need know that there is support. We believe that the voice of the post-abortive person has a uniquely powerful role to play in bringing an end to abortion and walking people into healing and freedom.
My personal hope is that I can make Jude and Paul, my children, proud of their mother who is now fighting the good fight because Jesus has restored me and given me HOPE through Rachel’s Vineyard.
Hope =
Hold
On
Pain
Ends.
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