Abortion and Abuse Keep People From Relationships With God, But Help is Here

Dr. Theresa Burke was a graduate student in psychology in the 1980s when, leading a support group for women with eating disorders, she made a discovery that would change her life – and the lives of millions of others:

Most of the women in the group had an abortion in their past.

This discovery prompted Dr. Burke to look for resources to help these women deal with the trauma left behind by their abortions but she found there were no resources for post-abortion healing.

Rachel’s Vineyard was born. Now the world’s largest ministry for healing after abortion, Dr. Burke and her husband, Kevin Burke, a licensed social worker, developed the weekend retreat program that has spread to 49 states and 70 countries, is offered by numerous Catholic dioceses and has a retreat manual translated into dozens of languages.

In 2019 the Peruvian Rachel’s Vineyard team met with then-Monsignor Robert Prevost to ask for his blessing and support for their new Rachel’s Vineyard (El Viñedo de Raquel) site in the Diocese of Lima. Now we know him as Pope Leo XIV.

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Rachel’s Vineyard became a ministry of Priests for Life in 2004, and both of the Burkes are full-time members of our Pastoral Team.

In 2006, Dr. Burke discovered something startling about those who attend and lead Rachel’s Vineyard retreats: A majority of them have experienced sexual abuse. Grief to Grace: Healing the Wounds of Abuse was born.

Grief to Grace offers a five-day retreat program to women and men who have suffered any kind of abuse – physical, emotional, sexual or even neglect.

“It’s a beautiful journey that Jesus travels alongside us as a fellow abuse survivor,” Dr. Burke said. “We know from the Passion that Jesus was terribly abused. We know he understands what abuse survivors have gone through probably better than anyone.”

Through rituals that will be particularly meaningful to Christians, licensed counselors and compassionate volunteers help participants recall the circumstances of their abuse and help them recognize the coping mechanisms that have allowed them to survive but kept them from living fully.

“Many abuse victims have been conditioned to blame themselves,” she said. “Our goal is ending the isolation and the fear that something is inherently wrong with you that you can’t move on. We help them rearrange their relationship with their trauma.”

The program has spread solely through word of mouth and is now in 25 countries and several states. Grief to Grace has attracted many Rachel’s Vineyard leaders who have not had abortions themselves but have other trauma, or abuse, in their lives. Dr. Burke said the program frequently has Roman Catholic priests and nuns as participants.

“The language for their beliefs we have not seen in other therapy,” Dr. Burkes said. “When we can unite our suffering to Christ, we are on our way because he does the heavy lifting.”

Some attendees will use the program as a springboard to deeper healing but some others, she said, “feel so free that they don’t want to waste another minute of their lives,” being controlled by the past abuse.

While working on Grief to Grace, several personal experiences converged that prompted Dr. Burke to develop another retreat. Duty to Heal helps military veterans and law enforcement professionals reconcile – and grieve – the moral injuries suffered in war and violence.

For information on any of the healing programs – Rachel’s Vineyard, Grief to Grace and Duty to Heal, go to LivingScriptureInstitute.org

“You really can heal,” Dr. Burke said. “We have seen the miracles.”

LifeNews.com Note:  Frank Pavone is the national director for Priests for Life.

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