Reclaiming Our Children

Upcoming events

Advent Retreat Weekend
Anyone who has had an abortion will tell you that the Advent and Christmas seasons can be particularly difficult. Everything around you reminds you of the child that is missing, often leaving you with sorrowful dread instead of joyful anticipation.

With that in mind, we will hold our first Advent Weekend Retreat, December 9-11^, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Newark Project Rachel Ministry.

The retreat is full! Please keep the retreatants in prayer as they open their hearts to the birth of Mercy Himself!

Priest Training – After Abortion
On February 1^st, 2018 the Archdiocese of Newark, Respect Life Office will host a training day for the clergy. The topic will be post abortion healing. Rev Mariusz Koch, CFR and Theresa Bonopartis will be presenters for this day designed to assist clergy in ministering to those impacted by this sensitive issue.

For further information please contact Cheryl Riley, Associate Director of the Respect Life Office at 973-497-4350, or email: Cheryl.Riley@rcan.org

Lenten Mercy Retreat
I know, we have not even celebrated Christmas yet, but it is not too early to plan for our yearly Lenten Mercy Retreat!

This retreat is developed each year, specifically for those women who have been involved in ministry for a while, or are themselves ministering to those who have experienced abortion. It is a time of renewal and growth both in healing and spirituality.

The theme of our retreat this year is “Offering Our Sufferings with Christ”, both for our own healing and those still out there alone in silence and shame.

This retreat fills up very quickly with people from across the country, so it is not too early to register!

Fr. Benedict Groeschel & Venerable Solanas Casey

Thought I would re post this from 2014, November 18th is the beatification of Solanus Casey!

http://www.freep.com/story/news/2017/11/12/beatification-father-solanus-casey-draws-70-000-faithful-catholics-detroit/840638001/

I have to admit I was pretty bummed out when I realized I was not going to be able to attend the funeral of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR. I had a prior commitment to lead an “Entering Canaan” Hope & Healing Retreat weekend in Michigan. I did consider cancelling, but I knew Fr.  Benedict would not want me to do that, especially when I thought of the many participants who had been looking forward to this weekend for months.  Still, I was very disappointed.

I had known Fr. Benedict for over 25 years, since praying with him in front of the abortion clinic in Dobbs Ferry, New York in the late 80’s. Since that time, I have been blessed to know him as an author and preacher, a good and holy priest, and as a friend. Good Fridays were always spent with him as he preached at Holy Trinity Parish in Mamaroneck, New York.  The deeply spiritual and moving service became a tradition for many of us who were blessed to live in the area.

As an employee of Good Counsel Homes which he founded with Chris Bell, I also had his unfailing support of our work at Lumina. He was quick to have me on EWTN’s Sunday Night Live to speak of post abortion healing, and also generously offered Trinity Retreat House, where he resided, to host our men’s retreat days more than once.

It is hard to measure the influence he has had on my life or choose which stories he told or words he said that stuck with me most. One of them, without a doubt, was about an incident at Saint Bonaventure’s Monastery in Detroit, home to many Capuchin friars and where Fr. Benedict did his novitiate.

Unable to sleep one night, Father Benedict went down to the chapel to pray at about 3:00 a.m. When he turned on the lights, he saw Father Solanus Casey (currently venerable) kneeling before the tabernacle in ecstasy, his arms extended in prayer, unaware of his presence. Feeling like an intruder Fr. Benedict left the chapel, but it made a huge impact on him and over the years  he often relayed the incident.

Chapel at St Bonaventure's where Fr. Benedict saw Solanus Casey in ecstasy

In the introduction to The Story of Solanus Casey by Catherine Odell, Father Benedict said, "To this day, having known a few such great people, I still think that Father Solanus was the saintliest person I ever knew." His devotion to Father Casey was immense and so it was no surprise when Father Glenn Sudano, CFR, requested prayers for Father Casey’s intercession after Fr. Benedict’s recent fall.

Well, the retreat went on, and was very blessed. I knew Fr. Benedict was with us in spirit. My host, Eileen Craig, knew that I loved Solanus Casey, so when we had booked the retreat she had made plans for us to visit St. Bonaventure’s in Detroit before I headed back to New York.

Knowing the rector of the shrine personally, upon hearing of Fr. Benedict’s death, Eileen called to ask if a mass could be said for his soul at the monastery.  So, it was, that a group of us, through the generosity of the rector, Fr. Larry, were able to celebrate mass for Fr. Benedict in the private chapel where Father Benedict had seen Fr. Solanus in ecstasy.

There are no words to describe the sense of their presence I had while in the chapel. I was struck by the thought of the communion of saints, knowing, of course, that neither of them has been declared a saint by the church yet, but with certainty they will be in the future. I kept thinking of how God’s goodness will not be out done. In my having to sacrifice attending Fr. Benedict’s funeral in order to minister to those hurting and in pain from abortion, God blessed me more than I could express through the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in this place where heaven touched earth, not only through prayers and Father Solanus’ ecstasies, but in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

What began as a sacrifice turned into a great gift. I am certain Fr. Benedict had something to do with it all, and was smiling down on us, thanking us for this mass.

Thank you Fr. Benedict, for your love and fidelity.  Thank you for your constant direction to us through so many avenues.  As I spoke with Chris Bell yesterday, we recognized life will not be the same without him, but it will continue to be blessed because of him as we contemplate him  interceding for us along with Venerable Solanus Casey before God .

 

 

Mercy Retreat

A renewal retreat for those who have been through healing from abortion and want to deepen their faith and healing. Especially good for those who have experienced abortion and are now ministering to others.
I know it is not until Lent but it is already over 1/2 full...

"How Great are Your works, O Lord..."Psalm 92:5

There is a line in one of my favorite books :”In the Arms of Mary” that says this, ‘The fact that God may act through you today does not mean that tomorrow He will not choose another. Could it be that it is precisely your attachment to the function that you perform which is hindering God to act freely?” In our humanness it is so easy for us to think the things we do belong to us, or one thing is better than another and to forget they are all works of the Lord, each beautiful in their own way. He creates many things because there are many people out there and one size does not fit all. None of these works belong to us, they are all His. That is why it is so important to keep our eyes grounded on Christ with Him being the goal for our lives, knowing long after we are gone, things will continue.

My personal abortion was pre Roe vs Wade, in 1971. At that time, abortion was legal in New York and people were working hard to make it the law of the land. I always knew my abortion was wrong, but like many women, I was coerced into it by someone else, in my case, my dad. My regret was immediate. I spent years searching for help and thinking I was the only one whose abortion bothered her. Each avenue of help I sought brought me to people who denied my feelings, leaving me feeling crazy and alone. There was just no help out there.

Things are much different today. There are many different ministries for those seeking healing after abortion, therapists and clergy are gaining a knowledge, and many women and men speak openly about their experience. I often think of what a great blessing this is, that God continues to bring forth more and more avenues of healing. God knows, with the millions of abortions in our country and world, countless women and men are seeking help; each unique individuals. One ministry may work for one, another may find a different one helpful, and still others may find all advantageous. What a wonderful thing! God has created different things to bring those suffering from a past abortion to healing, and back to Himself! It is often decades before these women and men, who have been separated from God come back to the church and become, as Blessed John Paul II says in the Gospel of Life, “among the most eloquent defenders of everyone’s right to life”. Who knows better the perils and truth of abortion than those who have experienced it?

Let us all thank God for His mercy to us and the gift of these different ministries. May each ministry continue to lead those suffering, to the Heart of Jesus through healing, so that indeed, each one becomes “among the most eloquent defenders of everyone’s right to life !”

All Souls Day

"May the Souls of the Faithfully Departed Rest in Peace"

 I love it when my soul is totally quiet! Not easy to achieve now a days with all the pulls from different directions.

At a nearby parish, confessions are held daily which I find to be such a help. When I depend on Saturday afternoons, I can get lost in the rushing around of doing chores,etc., but if I go to mass at this parish, I know I am sure to have the opportunity for confession. A true gift.

As always, in my humanness, I have been struggling with some things lately. In light of the struggles, we had the perfect homily on the topic of humility, what it is, and what it is not. Now, I do know what humility is, ( one of my favorite saying is "Humility, once you think you have it you have lost it.")but living it is another story, especially when you are caught up in the middle of things and your emotions take over. It is easy to forget, that standing up for something can also be humility at times. Humility is truth. I needed to be reminded of that, so, it was also helpful to have the same priest hear my confession.

This priest gave me a beautiful penance. He asked me, in the next few days, to stop at a cemetery and pray for the departed souls. I decided to go right away.

I went to the cemetery where my mom,dad and many relatives and friends are buried. I thought of all these souls who have gone before me, prayed for them and  all souls, and really contemplated how all that is really important is God's truth and doing the will of God in my life so I can spend eternity with Him. Nothing like a cemetery to remind you, "From dust you came and to dust you will return".

It truly was a beautiful penance. Thank you Father!

 

With all the craziness in life it is so important to do this.

I know I can easily get caught up in the frenzy of life. Work, family and just the world in general. These are not easy times.

It can be hard to keep myself in the present, trust more, and not take on things I do not have to because of my emotions or others behaviors. Just to live in the moment with God. Live in the truth of the present moment.

Which brings me back to the cemetery, and knowing we are all in the presence of God, living or dead. That ultimately, that is where our peace is and all that matters, so as we pray today for the souls of the dead, let's remember the communion of the saints and our ultimate goal of heaven together with Christ in truth/humility.

And so I will close with another of my favorite lines:

"Humility is the fertile sol upon which the divine Sower sows His seed."

Amen.