Sometimes there are many paths to the same goal. For example, one path to the near elimination of abortion is through the political process. Another arduous path is through the reconciliation and healing of a Rachel's Vineyard retreat.
What is a Rachel's Vineyard retreat? According to its website, "Rachel's Vineyard is a safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion. Weekend retreats offer a supportive, cofidential and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-aborting emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing.
I have been blessed to serve on two RV retreat teams. It is an intense but very satisfying experience, for me as a priest, and even more so for the retreatants. Each participant who comes had at least one abortion. The first day of the retreat is focused on the retreatants telling their stories: how they were raised, any marriages, how the abortion came about, other significant issues in their lives. As you might imagine, this story-telling is very emotional. We go through a lot of boxes of Kleenex during the weekend. A key goal of the first day is that each retreatant takes responsibility for her/his sinful act.
At the same time the retreatants are introduced to God's love through several spiritual exercises. These retreat exercises help participants to accept forgiveness for themselves and others. There is also an opportunity to re-connect with the children who have been aborted on a spiritual level, to name them, given them honor and dignity, and specially remember them in a concluding memorial service. Again, according to the website, "Mourning and grieving are necessary milestones which must be passed so that healthy lives can continue. When their retreat is concluded there is re-birth and resurrection. There is new life within our spirit which gives us hope in the future. Through a very personal and intimate encounter with the Living God, we come to know that God knows and loves us despite our many weaknesses and human failures."
Twice-a-year Rachel's Vineyard retreats are sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and Cataholic Charities. Retreatants are invited to attend Mass on Saturday morning and the concluding Mass on Sunday; to receive the sacrament of reconciliation; and to pray in silence before Eucharistic Adoration in a specially prepared chapel. Throughout the weekend there are neighboring Catholics who pray for the retreatants in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Each participant and team member has a prayer partner praying for them.
As the priest on the retreat team I am able, through confession and the Eucharist, to minister to these women and men in a most powerful way. Many of the women had not been to confession or Holy Communion in 15 or 20 or 30 years. Most of them had never said out loud what they felt like when they became pregnant, when they told their husband/boyfriend, when they went for the abortion, or how they have dealt with the abortion since. Walls of silence, denial and avoidance are broken down, to lay bare the human reality that we all need and depend on God and God's love.
The Rachel's Vineyard retreat brings hope to broken souls, one at a time. I believe that as our church shares the mercy of God's love, over time the general population of our country will see with new eyes the evil of abortion, and advocate against it as the offense against human rights that it is. If you want more information, go to www.rachelsvineyard.org , or call the diocese at 412-456-3156.
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