VINE AND BRANCHES

The Monthly e-Newsletter of Rachel's Vineyard Ministries

January, 2005

Rachel's Vineyard is on the web at: www.rachelsvineyard.org

Our national toll-free hotline is (877) HOPE-4-ME.

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Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats for emotional and spiritual healing after abortion are held internationally.   Rachel’s Vineyard welcomes, women, men, couples, grandparents and abortion providers.  Our retreats are held in both Catholic and Interdenominational settings.  Rachel's Vineyard Ministries is a resource for clinical training, education, and healing models.

Rachel’s Vineyard is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization.  All contributions are tax deductible.

We work in close partnership with Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries.

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Help us spread the Good News!  Pass along this newsletter to friends and colleagues. If you are receiving this newsletter because a friend forwarded it to you, details on subscribing (or unsubscribing) appear at the end.

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CONTENTS

I Will Never Forget You

A Message from our Pastoral Director

Invitations

Remembering an Incredible Saint

Join Us In Feeding The Poor In Spirit

Mother Teresa: The Legacy

Upcoming Events and Clinical Training Opportunities

Upcoming Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Schedule (January –February)

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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU   Isaiah 49

By Susan Gliko

It is Sunday mass and we are singing, I will never forget you, My people, I have carved you on the palm of My Hand, I will never forget you, I will not leave you orphaned, I will never forget My own.  Would a mother forget her baby? Or a woman the child within her womb?  Yet even if these forget, yes, even if these forget, I will never forget My own.

These words from scripture, put to music by Carey Landry, used to cause a deep ache in my heart; for I once tried to forget the child within my womb, my child lost to abortion.

Abortion is a deeply traumatic experience and was so for me back in 1989.  When I was in my crisis, my mother was gravely ill.  I had no one to turn to, and those I did reach out to all said abortion was the best choice.  I chose abortion because I felt it was my only choice, which means I had no choice.  I went against everything that I believed in thinking it would spare my mother in her fragile condition.

To this day, I do not remember the actual taking of my child’s life. It was so traumatic that I left my body.  Afterward, I remember thinking that now I had to pretend nothing happened and that I was fine, when in reality something horrific had happened and I was not fine. I was forever changed.

In order to continue to function and survive this trauma, I did what most all women do--enter the phase of denial.  Women literally go through a time of forgetting the child within her womb; it was tissue, it was a blood clot and it was not yet a child.

This denial may last for ten, twenty and even many more years.  Denial often manifests itself in many seeming unrelated ways, such as panic attacks, nightmares, difficulty in relationships, suicidal tendencies, start of or increase of drug and alcohol use and abuse and also reenactment in the form of repeat abortions.  These are all symptoms of Post Abortion Syndrome.

The walls of my denial started to crumble and fall after my mother died in 1994.  I started to cry and just couldn’t stop.  This deep grief was welling out of me, and I was having a hard time getting a grip on myself.  I started to have panic attacks that were so bad I had to be medicated and nightmares were becoming a common occurrence.

All the denial in the world couldn’t change the underlying truth of how God created women.  Children are literally and scientifically carved into the very fiber and being of a woman.  There has been scientific research noting, that at the moment of conception mother and child begin to communicate on a hormonal level and this information is permanently recorded in the mother's brain.

I could no longer forget my child.  I was acknowledging my longing and love for this child, who I was never able to hold to my breast, keep safe in my arms, and keep close to my heart.  I wanted to dignify the reality of this precious one.

I finally found relief for this deepest pain and loss of mine through a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat.  The mother child bond was reconnected and I was able to dignify my child through a memorial service and Mass.  I am now able to keep close to this child in prayer because I know this child is a part of the communion of saints now living in the Lord.

So, now when I hear the song, Isaiah 49, and they ask the question, “Would a mother forget her baby? Or a woman the child within her womb?  The answer is no, she might be able to forget for ten, twenty and sometimes many more years, but the truth and reality of the child is carved and recorded permanently into her every fiber and being.  She will never forget her own. 

Susan N Gliko is a married stay-at-home mother of four living children.  She is also the state coordinator for Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats in Montana. If you or someone you know is hurting from a past abortion, there is hope for healing.  For more information check out www.rachelsvineyard.org or call the national hotline 877-HOPE-4ME.

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What then are we afraid of?  Can we have too much of God? Is it a misfortune to be freed from the heavy yoke of the 

world, and to bear the light burden of Jesus Christ?  Do we fear to be too happy, too much delivered from ourselves, from 

the caprices of our pride, the violence of our passions, and the tyranny of this deceitful world?

                   François Fénelon (1651-1715)

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 A MESSAGE FROM THE PASTORAL DIRECTOR

 Dear Friends,

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter “The Gospel of Life” (Evangelium Vitae), which was published on March 25, 1995. It was published on that day because that is the Feast of the Annunciation, when God became an unborn child through the Holy Spirit and the “Yes” of His mother Mary. It is a good occasion to read (or re-read) the document (see www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/gospeloflife.html )

This anniversary is also taking place during a special “Year of the Eucharist” which the Church is observing from October 2004 through October 2005. This observance leads us to reflect on the same fact: In Christ, God took on flesh, became visible, shared our humanity, and allowed us to touch Him. 

As we conduct our Rachel’s Vineyard ministry in these coming months, let’s allow these two special occasions to inform, enrich, and invigorate our work and our experiences. In “The Gospel of Life,” the Pope speaks directly to those wounded by abortion, urging them to have courage. In the Incarnation, we meet “God with us” who is named “Jesus” precisely because he will save his people from their sins. These themes all come together so powerfully to enable us to stand before a broken world and a wounded soul and say, “Take courage! He is calling you! He is with you! He has saved you and your children!”  God bless you!

Fr. Frank Pavone
Pastoral Director

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YOUR INVITED TO A RACHEL'S VINEYARD RECEPTION  

A Rachel’s Vineyard free Reception for anyone going to the March for Life is going to be held Sunday, January 23, the evening before the March from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW. Washington DC. The Rachel’s Vineyard Reception will be held in The Mont Pelier Room on the Mezzanine Level.  Please join us!  

YOUR INVITED TO MARCH WITH US

Please look for the Large Yellow and Black Rachel’s Vineyard Banner!  You are welcome to March with us in Washington DC on January 24, 2005.

MORE INVITATIONS

Fr. Frank Pavone invites you to join him in Washington, DC for the following events:  

January 23, 12 noon - Mass at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

January 24, 9 AM - National Memorial for the Pre-Born, in the Senate Caucus Room 325 of the Russell Senate Building

January 24, 5 PM at the Supreme Court: Silent No More Awareness gathering –

Come in support of women who will share their abortion stories. Find more info here.

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Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

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REMEMBERING AN INCREDIBLE SAINT

By Theresa Burke, Ph.D.

I’ll never forget the first letter I received from Mother Teresa in Calcutta.  I had sent her the first edition of Rachel’s Vineyard – A Psychological and Spiritual Journey for Healing after Abortion.  It was the original 15-week support group model.  My brother, a physician frequently treated the nuns who served in one of Mother Teresa’s homeless shelters in our neighboring town of Norristown, Pa.  One of the sisters took the book with her to India and hand delivered it to Mother. It was the beginning of what continues to be a very special bond between Rachel’s Vineyard and this extraordinary woman of God, who shared such an intense passion for the tender work of healing and restoration which occurs when we allow ourselves to be used by Christ to touch those who feel abandoned, forsaken and rejected… especially the child of the womb and the parents who grieve their lost child.

Mother Teresa wrote to me this beautiful letter of encouragement:  I want to share it with you as a letter of encouragement for the work we are doing. I especially love the last paragraph. It is the perfect advice for anyone working or helping to support Rachel’s Vineyard. 

Thank you very much for all that you are doing for God to bring his love and compassion and mercy to those who have had abortions in the past.

I am grateful to God and to you for this very beautiful work, which you have done. Jesus Himself said that He came to call sinners and not the self-righteous. I pray that Rachel’s Vineyard may bring God’s tender love and compassion to those who need His peace so much. I pray for all those who use it, seeking His peace, may open their hearts and allow God to restore them to wholeness and happiness.

Let Jesus continue to use you as His instrument by allowing Him to love others through you. He will be free to use you in the measure that you are open to Him, allowing Him to radiate His love through you. I am praying much for you.

God bless you,
Mother Teresa

I have prayed to Mother Teresa since her death, to intercede for this ministry — that all those who are willing to work in the slums of the soul will reflect the compassionate face of Christ to all who come to labor in Rachel’s Vineyard.

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JOIN US IN FEEDING THE POOR IN SPIRIT!

Rachel’s Vineyard is living Mother Teresa’s legacy by feeding the poor in spirit – those desperate souls hungry for hope, consolation and healing.  Come labor with us in the Vineyard.  Join us in rescuing a woman and men today from the slums of the soul by sending a tax-deductible donation of $1,000, $500, or $100.  Your contribution will enable us to bring God’s healing presence to one more person, a person like Susan Gliko, traumatized by abortion but later she heroically turned her grief into good by becoming God’s instrument of love.  Join our efforts by clicking here: http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/support/support.htm  to contribute via credit card or PayPal or send an e-mail directly to me at t.burke@rachelsvineyard.org  and I will forward a postage-paid envelope.  Be assured that every day I ask Mother Teresa to carry your intentions to the Throne of God!

Theresa Burke, Ph.D.
Founding Director,
Rachel's Vineyard Ministries
PO Box 195
Bridgeport, Pa. 19406

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For those of you who would enjoy learning more about Mother Teresa’s life, I highly recommend a beautiful new movie:  Mother Teresa: The Legacy. 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A SPECIAL ORDERING PRICE FOR FRIENDS OF RACHEL’S VINEYARD

This film will touch you in the deepest places of your heart and soul.  It is the only film I have ever seen where Mother Teresa of Calcutta is sharing her teachings.  I felt like I was on a personally directed retreat with her, embracing the privilege of sharing in the depth of her prayerful wisdom, rooted in such humility and simplicity that the truth resonated powerfully, binding itself to my soul.  I highly recommend this beautiful film for inspiration and a personal encounter with this extraordinary woman who was genuinely imbued with the full life of the Holy Spirit.  It’s an invitation for all of us ordinary people to become extraordinary living examples of Christ’s love.    ~ Theresa Burke, Founder of Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries 

To order, a beautiful film about Mother Teresa, click this link made especially for friends of Rachel's Vineyard:
    
http://www.motherteresafilm.com/pp/order.aspx?special=RVN

You can also call the toll-free number 1-888-923-1919 and mention Rachel's Vineyard or the code RVN, to get the special discount.
    
"Mother Teresa: The Legacy” a film by Ann & Jeanette Petrie

“Mother Teresa: The Legacy” (2004) is the dramatic story of Mother Teresa's last day, her sudden death and her moving state funeral which was attended by the poor, the powerful and the rich from around the world. At the heart of this film and, for the first time, we see and hear Mother Teresa reveal her simple but profound spirituality that, put into action, transcended religious, political and cultural boundaries and enabled her to open 500 homes for the poor in over 124 countries. The film includes intimate and never-before-seen footage of Mother Teresa's private burial. But it is Mother's words, finally, that reveal why she has captivated the hearts and admiration of the world. 

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Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; 

For I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

                   Matthew 11:28-30

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EWTN NEWS

EWTN will be bringing you coverage of the March for Life.  Theresa and Kevin Burke along with special guest Bernadette Goulding, who coordinates Rachel’s Vineyard in Ireland, will be interviewed along with other friends from Rachel’s Vineyard.  The EWTN March Coverage will begin on January 24 at 11:00AM; ENCORE 10:00 PM and January 29, 1:00 PM. 

Door To Hope, a powerful documentary about post abortion healing will air on EWTN on January 20, 5:00AM; January 22, 6:00 PM; and January 23, 10:00 AM.   This powerful 60 minute documentary was produced by  Jeanne Krieg, from Rachel’s Vineyard in Minneapolis with news-anchor host Kelly Yanta.  Interviews are highlighted with Theresa Burke, Cheryl Riley and Mary Kominski. 

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UPCOMING EVENTS AND CLINICAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

January 23, 2005     March for Life Convention, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM   Session II, Hyatt-Regency Washington, 400 New Jersey Ave, NW, Washington, DC, (202) 544-8676.  Topic: How to talk to post-abortive women, Presented by Leslie Graves of Rachel’s Vineyard.

Theresa Burke, founder of Rachel’s Vineyard, will be available for book signings at The March for Life Convention Exhibit Booths

January 24, 2005 - Silent No More Testimonies of post aborted women and men who have been wounded by abortion begin at 5:00 on the steps of the United States Supreme Court.  For more information link to www.silentnomoreawareness.org

February 17- 19, 2005  Premier Party for the Wildflowers Project

Restoring The Heart Ministries, founded by Julie Woodley will be hosting a party for The Wildflowers Project - the healing of post-abortion trauma and the healing of childhood sexual abuse.  An entire Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat was video taped for this special film. Our film director Theo Chalgren will be present to introduce the video project. Dr. Theresa Burke will speak at the dinner to share her heart on post-abortion trauma. There will be great music as well.   For more information contact:  wildflower636@aol.com or call (631) 689-6686.  You can also visit Restoring the Heart Ministries website at http://www.rthm.cc/

February 25, 2005   NOEL of El Paso, Dr. Sherwood Kaip, (915) 584-0620 , Email: LKaip@earthlink.net.  RECEIVED APPROVAL for 6 hours of continuing education credit for Licensed Professional Counselors, for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists

February 28, 2005    University of Central Oklahoma

                                    Contact:  Carl Erickson  carlscorner@hotmail.com

405-341-6300

Sponsored by UCO Catholic Student Center’s Campus Ministry

March 2, 2005          Clinical Training at University of Notre Dame

                                   South Bend, Indiana

Contact: Sue Brazo 269 -683 - 7831

E-mail: ndsue33@hotmail.com

                                    Additional Contact: Marie Longar, 574 291 8006.

March 16, 2005       Villanova University

                                  Contact: Mike Ceibert 610-519-4486

                                  E-mail: villanovansforlife@yahoo.com

                                  Website: www.prolife.villanova.edu

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 UPCOMING RACHEL’S VINEYARD RETREAT SCHEDULE

January 7-9, 2005 -- Amarillo, Texas
Note: Interdenominational Retreat
Contact: Gwen Johns 806-678-4673
January 7-9, 2005 -- Sonoma County, California
Contact: Monika 925-798-7054
Enero 7-9, 2005 -- Dallas, Texas
Contactar: Aurora 972-679-4760
 (Espanol)
 January 14-16, 2005 -- Fort Worth, Texas
 Contact: Betsy Kopor 817-923-4757
 January 14-16, 2005 -- Linden, New Jersey
 Contact: Michelle Krystofik 732-388-8211
 January 14-16, 2005 -- Charlotte, North Carolina
                                     -- Rock Hill, South Carolina
Contact: Maria 704-467-0469
January 14-16, 2005 -- Youngstown, Ohio
Contact: Brenda Dama 330-519-8838
Contact: Br. Vit Fiala 330-799-1888
January 21-23, 2005 -- Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota
Contact: Nancy Blom
Contact: Gail Checco 888-329-3773
January 21-23, 2005 -- Fairfield County, Connecticut
Contact: Clarissa Cincotta 203-218-0291
January 21-23, 2005 -- Fresno Area, California
Contact: Jennifer Butcher 877-629-6626
January 21-23, 2005 -- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Contact: Mary Lee  918-585-8167 ext. 212
January 21-23, 2005 -- Camden, New Jersey
Contact: Mary Anne Serra 866-4-RACHEL
January 21-23, 2005 --Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Contact: Susan Lepak 405-721-8944
January 21-23, 2005 -- Ketchikan, Alaska
Contact: Diane Szurleys 907-225-2502
Retreat Location: St. John by the Sea on Prince of Wales Island
January 28-30, 2005 -- Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Contact: Lucie Tettamente 780-741-3863
Contact: Mary Laurene Bradley 780-424-4538 or 1-877-579-3223
January 28-30, 2005 -- Monroe, Connecticut
Local host: Archdiocese of Hartford Project Rachel
Contact: Mary Hayden 203-882-1326
January 28-30, 2005 -- Jacksonville / St. Augustine, Florida
Contact: Donna 904-221-3232
February 4-6, 2005 -- Dallas, Texas
Contact: Barbara Hennes  214-366-4400
February 4-6, 2005 -- Corpus Christi, Texas
Contact: Desda 361-949-1251
Contact: Fr. Tom Goodwin 361-882-7912
February 4-6, 2005 -- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Local host: Restoration Ministries
Note: Interdenominational Retreat
Contact: Marsha Tucker 336-764-9958
February 4-6, 2005 -- Las Vegas, Nevada (Español)
Contact: Kathleen Miller 702-737-1672
February 11-13, 2005 -- Valley City, North Dakota
Local host: Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota
Local host: Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota
Local host: LifeCare Center of Thief River Falls, Minnesota
Contact: Shelly Stone 218-689-5454 or 500-241-5454
February 11-13, 2005 -- Richmond, Virginia
Note: Interdenominational retreat
Contact: Gordon and Deborah Frantzich 540-775-5147
February 11-13, 2005 -- Las Vegas, Nevada
Contact: Kathleen Miller 702-737-1672
February 18-20, 2005 -- Los Angeles, California
Contact: Christine Lowe 866-2-RACHEL
Contact: Rachel's Vineyard Los Angeles
February 18-20, 2005 -- Rockford, Illinois
Contact: Catherine Rennert 815-968-1157
Note: Interdenominational retreat
Location: Stronghold Retreat and Conference Center in Oregon, Illinois
February 18-20, 2005 -- Phoenix, Arizona
Note: Interdenominational retreat
Contact: Margarita Marquez
Contact: Dianna Contreras 480-966-1902 ext 101
February 18-20, 2005 -- Longwood, Washington
Contact: Julie Elkinton 360-649-1964
February 18-20, 2005 --Cork City, Ireland
Contact: Bernadette 087-859-2877
Contact: Dr. Rita O'Connor 061-468-570
February 25-27, 2005 -- Peoria, Illinois
Local Host: King's House Retreat Center in Henry, IL
Contact: Colleen Harmon 815-303-1184 or Jeanne Whalen 309-671-1550
or 1-800-367-0702
February 25-27, 2005 -- Portland, Oregon
Contact: Lori Eckstine 800-249-8074 or 541-521-5186
February 25-27, 2005, -- Lisbon, Portugal
Contact: Claudia Muller 91-735-4602
Contact: Psicologa Maria Jose Vilaca
Diocese de Lisboa
February 25-27, 2005 -- Wichita, Kansas
Local host: Rachel's Vineyard of the Diocese of Wichita
Contact: Yvonne or Lori 316-269-4673 or 1-888-456-4673 (statewide only)
February 25-27, 2005 -- Allentown Pennsylvania
Contact: Maryann Dunn M.S. 866-372-2435

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To subscribe to this newsletter: Send an e-mail to Katie@rachelsvineyard.org

Type “SUBSCRIBE VINE & BRANCHES” in the subject line or body of your e-mail.

Publisher: Rachel's Vineyard Ministries
Editor: Theresa Burke, Ph.D.
Comments and questions: t.burke@rachelsvineyard.org  

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