Bishop Peter attends largest March for Life in London

On September 7, a record number of people attended the March for Life in central London to promote the pro-life message that each person is valued and that abortion is not healthcare. With an estimated 8,000 – 10,000 people attending, this was the largest gathering to date, with five Catholic Bishops present, including our own Bishop Peter Collins. Rachel’s Vineyard offers retreats to support individuals struggling with the emotional and psychological effects of post-abortive trauma.

There are now over 200,000 abortions carried out in England and Wales each year, which over the course of one’s life means that the impact and effect of abortion will touch nearly every family and certainly every parish community.

Dr Theresa Burke is an American Catholic psychologist who worked with people with eating disorders. Early in her career in the ‘80s, she began to recognise the effects that abortion can have on people, as she started to see a pattern in many of her patients: those who presented as suffering from symptoms related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), had very often also had an abortion.

As a result of her work and experiences, she published a book, *Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion*, and developed a model of healing retreat weekends for those suffering from the trauma of abortion.

Theresa Burke’s Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat model has spread to many countries across the world, including the UK, and there is now a Rachel’s Vineyard team here in the Diocese of East Anglia who offer a retreat once a year.

The next retreat will be Friday 21 – Sunday 23 March 2025. With booking now open and a limit of 8 people per retreat, it is advisable to book early.

Rachel’s Vineyard retreats are a safe place to renew and rebuild lives. They offer a supportive, confidential and non-judgmental environment where women and men can deal with painful post-abortive emotions. Acknowledging its far-reaching impact, the retreats are open to anyone who has been affected by abortion, including other family members (not directly involved in the abortion but who have felt the effects) and medical practitioners who have been involved in abortion procedures.

Retreats are open to people of all faiths and none, but as Rachel’s Vineyard is founded in the Catholic tradition, participants will require an openness to a retreat that will be within a group setting based on Scripture and personal reflection. There is an opportunity for silent prayer, Mass, reconciliation and Adoration as well as the opportunity to speak with members of the team.

The team is made up of volunteers and each team includes a qualified and experienced psychotherapist and a post-abortive woman. A priest is also present throughout the weekend to not only provide the sacraments but to be the face of Christ during the weekend.

By the end of retreat weekends, the transformative effects for the participants are evident.

A team member with her own experience of abortion wrote, ‘After many silent years of secret guilt and shame, Rachel’s Vineyard gave me the sacred space to share my sorrowful story for the first time ever, exposing the enemy’s sly lie that I was beyond redemption and my children forever lost. The chains fell off and by the grace of God and His Divine Mercy, my healing journey began in earnest, for which I am eternally grateful’.

Fr Stefan Park, OSA, a priest on the team, says of his experience working with Rachel’s Vineyard, ‘I was amazed at the transformation and healing that occurred during the Rachel’s Vineyard gathering. Years of trauma were significantly dealt with in one short weekend. Much healing was experienced. It was such a privilege to be a part of this Holy Spirit process.’

The facilitator of this team, Sona McCullough, who has worked with Rachel’s Vineyard for 12 years, says this of her experience, ‘There is such a need for those who are suffering alone, to experience with others who have also experienced abortion/s, the healing and freedom that Christ offers each of us; to know that whatever our history, that there is a way forward. Both retreatants and team members are shoulder to shoulder before God, each retreat, receiving blessing from Him.’

Are you or someone you know hurting from a past abortion or abortions?

If you would like to enquire about booking onto the retreat in March 2025 or would like to speak to someone confidentially, please contact Charlotte on 07958 235 270.

If priests would like to know more information, please contact Fr Stefan Park, OSA, at Clare Priory on 01787 277 326.

Or email: sona@rachelsvineyard.org.uk.

For further information about Rachel’s Vineyard or to find out about other retreat dates and locations in the UK, please visit: www.rachelsvineyard.org.uk

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