During retreats offered by Rachel’s Vineyard, Jesus — the divine healer — offers healing to women and men from the trauma of abortion, said Father of Mercy Ben Cameron.
“The real healer is Jesus. And the encounter with Jesus and that he really does love us in the midst of our brokenness,” is visible during retreats, said Father Cameron.
Father Cameron served in the Archdiocese of Louisville and was pastor of Our Lady of the Caves Church in Hart County, Ky. He now travels nationally and globally preaching missions and said he sees first-hand a need to help individuals grieving an abortion. He started a Kentucky chapter of the national Rachel’s Vineyard ministry. He currently serves as president of Rachel’s Vineyard of Bowling Green, Ky.
“We’re not just telling people to sit and talk about trauma,” said Father Cameron, noting many women have a difficult time talking about their abortion and the circumstances surrounding it.
The heart of the retreat is Christ-centered meditations based on Gospel stories, such as the woman at the well, the healing of blind Bartimaeus and the raising of Lazarus.
During a meditation on Bartimaeus’ encounter with Jesus, for example, the retreatant can explore being blind to the reality and consequences of an abortion. Some may feel as if a part of them died after an abortion and the story of Lazarus can help release them from that, Father Cameron said.
“We see great strides in people’s healing during the weekend. It’s amazing how much healing our Lord Jesus can work in the course of a weekend.”
— Father Ben Cameron
“People put themselves in the story; they’re interacting with Jesus. They start to make sense of their past and what happened,” said Father Cameron in a recent interview. “It’s a gentle approach to the grief and trauma of abortion.”
A parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Lagrange, Ky., who wanted to remain anonymous, said attending a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat was the most “wonderful” step she’d taken towards healing in the 47 years since her abortion. She and a friend from the parish attended a retreat last fall.
At the time of her abortion, she was 21 years old, scared and alone, she said. At the clinic, workers didn’t refer to the child she was carrying as a baby.
“They used the word fetus; there was no counseling, no ultrasound. It was just a procedure. I closed my eyes and let it happen,” she said. “I buried it for decades. I hated myself. It took prayers to bring all this to the surface. ”
Father Cameron said it’s typical for women to suffer in silence following an abortion. Many lack support, and they fear being judged.
At a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat, “They have a safe place, where they’re loved and they can begin to share what they experience in a loving, non-judgemental way. That’s healing in itself,” he said.
The retreat also addresses the retreatant’s anger toward the people involved in the abortion, and this helps them be more open to healing, said Father Cameron.
“We see great strides in people’s healing during the weekend. It’s amazing how much healing our Lord Jesus can work in the course of a weekend,” he said, noting that when retreatants leave, they know they’ve been forgiven.
In addition to the Gospel meditations, the participants attend Mass and have the opportunity for reconciliation. There’s also a memorial service, which gives them a “place to honor their children,” Father Cameron said.
The parishioner who asked for anonymity said confession brought her peace and that she feels forgiven.
During the retreat, she wrote a letter to her child — whom she “knew in her heart was a boy,” asking for forgiveness, she said. She dreamed of him, too — he was standing in his crib, cooing. She believes her child is in heaven, and that consoles her, she said.
Now that she’s found healing, she is focused on helping women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy.
She is a volunteer at her parish’s newly opened pregnancy and family resource center, Mary’s Hope.
“If we save one child, … it would be my baby smiling down on me from heaven saying, ‘You did it, Mom,’ ” she said. “We want to help someone not have to go through what we went through. … God’s timing is perfect.”
Father Cameron has written a book — “Healing the Deepest Wounds: A Pastoral Guide to Abortion, Trauma and Grief” — to guide individuals, including pastors and counselors, who want to accompany those suffering after an abortion.
Rachel’s Vineyard of Bowling Green offers retreats in Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama. For more information on Rachel’s Vineyard of Bowling Green, visit https://hopeafterabortionky.com/ or call 270-474-4707, a confidential line.
