A Psychological and Spiritual Journey for Healing After Abortion

"Something inside me died following my abortion. I was terrified to take that first step forward and participate in Rachel's Vineyard. It seemed safer to remain hiding in the darkness, keeping the pain locked up deep inside rather than to risk exposing my shame to another soul.  Now I am grateful to have experienced God's healing and forgiveness with other women and men in an atmosphere of complete acceptance and trust.  Rachel's Vineyard has been a blessing to me."

Rachel's Vineyard weekend retreats offer a beautiful opportunity for healing to any woman or man who has struggled with the emotional or spiritual pain of an abortion.

The retreat is a chance to get away from the daily pressures of work and family, to focus on a painful time in life, and to begin healing through a supportive and non-judgmental process.

Spiritual exercises focusing on God's forgiveness, compassion, and mercy are shared through psychological exercises which help participants work through repressed grief and anger that may exist.

Many preconceived fears of condemnation are transformed into blessings; memories of abandonment, pain, and confusion are replaced by peace and reconciliation.

Rachel's Vineyard retreat, written by Theresa Karminski Burke, PhD with Barbara Cullen, focuses on God's love and forgiveness in a nonjudgmental environment. Based in Catholicism, the retreat is open to and welcomes individuals of all denominations.

The weekend begins on Friday evening and concludes mid-Sunday afternoon.

Rachel's Vineyard retreats, convenient to the Baltimore area, are held in Baltimore/Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. For information, call the toll-free national hotline at 1-877-HOPE-4-ME or visit the website at www.rachelsvineyard.org.