Confidential E-mail

Making the decision to attend a Rachel's Vineyard Retreat can sometimes be intimidating. Fear of the unknown might be making it harder for you to reach out for help with the emotional and spiritual conflict you may be feeling after your abortion, whether your abortion was recent or decades ago. Rachel's Vineyard has numerous volunteers who can answer any questions you may have through confidential e-mail. You can simply write our e-mail buddies, who are listed below. You can also contact our national office or e-mail the contact person at the retreat you would like to attend.

Most of us are persons who have walked down the same path as you and have experienced the healing power of Jesus Christ through a Rachel's Vineyard retreat. Others are counselors trained in post-abortion healing or compassionate women who help run retreat teams. Read about us below and feel free to click on a name and e-mail anyone you feel you can share your story with or answer your questions best. We are here to offer nonjudgmental, loving support and encouragement.

Jeanne	is 47 and single and does not have any living children. She's had two abortions, at the ages of 27 and 30, and one miscarriage...[more]
Catherine	41, lives in Knoxville with her husband, three kids (4, 6 and 9) a pound dog, and a stray cat. A former middle school English teacher...[more]
John	is 45. He and his wife live with two of their children in Virginia, and their oldest son is in the United States Marine Corps...[more]
Lily	is in her mid-30s and had two abortions at age 19 and age 21. After almost two decades of desert wandering, she came back to Christ in 1997....[more]
Ronnajean	is 35 and recovering from post-abortion syndrome. Until she was 30, she was an avid pro-choice advocate...[more]
Shelley	is 47. She and her husband of 22 years have four children and four grandchildren. Shelley works full-time as a registered nurse...[more]
Kathryn	is a doula -- a person who attends births to support the laboring mother. She is also a certified labor doula trainer...[more]
Steve	is 45, married, managing two group homes for the mentally retarded, a licensed chemical dependency counselor, and currently working towards his Ph.D....[more]
Carrie	had an abortion when she was 23. Three months later, she was in another crisis pregnancy and back at the abortion clinic. In a moment of grace...[more]
Fr. Jim	is 50, a full time hospital chaplain in Minneapolis, MN....[more]

Jeanne is 47 and single and does not have any living children. She's had two abortions, at the ages of 27 and 30, and one miscarriage.  Jeanne is part of a retreat team in the Midwest. She has a background in television production and is currently working on creating a series of programs on post-abortion trauma and healing. She is also collecting stories and writing a book on everyday miracles.  Jeanne says "I was into the New Age movement and finally let God find me in 1993.  I am now a happy Catholic.  I suffered from depression, agoraphobia and panic attacks after the abortions. I had a beautiful healing after my Rachel's Vineyard retreat and it felt like 500 pounds were lifted off on me, when I walked out the door that weekend.  I continue to heal every day and no longer suffer from depression and have minimal panic attacks.  There is hope, healing and transformation awaiting us through the grace of God's love, forgiveness, and mercy.  Jesus wants us to be whole and is inviting us to come for healing so we may forgive ourselves and move on with our lives.  You no longer need to walk in shame and condemnation."
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Catherine, 41, lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband, three kids (4, 6 and 9) a pound dog, and a stray cat. A former middle school English teacher, she spends her time driving all day to dentist's appointments, flag football games and Girl Scouts. She had an abortion at the age of 24 and rarely spoke of it again until she attended a Rachel's Vineyard weekend. Catherine attended the Rachel's Vineyard Leadership Conference training this past summer and has helped bring the first RV retreat to Tennessee. When not spending time with her kids, she volunteers at Catholic Charities' Pregnancy Help Center and is the Project Rachel program coordinator. Besides her husband, kids and Rachel's Vineyard, she's passionate about scrapbooking, reading (Anne Tyler books), music (Stevie Nicks) and professional football, especially Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.
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John is 45. He and his wife live with two of their children in Virginia, and their oldest son is in the United States Marine Corps. He is a regional vice president of service within the office products industry. John and his wife have been married for 25 years. They had an abortion together 28 years ago in 1975. After 25 years of silence between them about their abortion experience (not one word of it spoken for 25 years), John dared to break the silence after seeing a notice for a Rachel's Vineyard retreat. They discovered a shared desire to break the silence and to seek understanding of why. Together, they experienced the healing Grace of God's reconciling love for them and felt the love between them grow in the truth and fullness of acknowledged life. Today, they share a vocation together in post-abortion ministry.
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Lily is in her mid-30s and had two abortions at age 19 and age 21. After almost two decades of desert wandering, she came back to Christ in 1997. This decision was followed by hard work and incredible healing which flowed out from gifted ministries in both the Protestant and Catholic communities. She formally returned to the Catholic Church after attending a Rachel's Vineyard retreat during Divine Mercy weekend 2001. Lily has attended a Rachel's Vineyard leadership conference and served on a retreat team in New York. Her desire is to see her sisters and brothers in Christ healed especially in the areas of identity and sexuality. After a lifetime living in New York City, she has relocated to Florida's Gulf Coast. Interests include: good books, cooking, alternative medicine, theology, and genealogy.
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Ronnajean is 35 and recovering from post-abortion syndrome.  Until she was 30, she was an avid pro-choice advocate.  That all changed during her sixth pregnancy when she faced bouts of abortion flashbacks from her early teen years.  Her first abortion was "normal" but her second was a "late-term" abortion.  She has been married to her second husband for 11 years even after their near divorce in 2003.  She now has 4 children, home schools, is a local Respect Life Coordinator and a Rachel's Vineyard Retreat Facilitator.  Because of her experiences, she believes God has called her to help other men and women who seek healing, peace and forgiveness from an abortion experience and to talk to youth groups, school groups and adults about abortion.
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Shelley is 47. She and her husband of 22 years have four children and four grandchildren. Shelley works full-time as a registered nurse and volunteers with Pregnancy Helpline. She had two abortions, at ages 17 and 21. Shelley has attended the Rachel's Vineyard national leadership conference and is now a retreat team facilitator. "My favorite thing to do is spend time with my children and grandchildren. I relax with needlepoint, ceramics, books, and a beautiful view of the mountains." She recommends "The Greatest Miracle in the World" by Og Mandino, "Entertaining Angels" (the movie based on the life of Dorothy Day), the Divine Mercy chaplet, and is devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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Kathryn is a doula -- a person who attends births to support the laboring mother. She is also a certified labor doula trainer and a certified postpartum doula trainer. Her special interest and experience is in supporting women through high risk pregnancies. Kathryn has lost children through abortion, miscarriage and premature birth. She and her husband are licensed ministers and attend Covenant Bible Church in North Carolina. Kathryn also designs jewelry, writes, composes, sings, and loves cooking dinner for friends. Kathryn has attended the Rachel's Vineyard retreat weekend, and the Rachel's Vineyard national leadership training.
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Steve is 45, married, manages two group homes for the mentally retarded, is a licensed chemical dependency counselor, and is currently working towards his Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy. He became involved in Rachel's Vineyard when his wife attended a retreat and he supported her by attending the memorial service. Although not post-abortive himself, he has experienced the struggles of his wife's post-abortion aftermath during the years prior to finding Rachel's Vineyard. Steve attended a national leadership training conference where he felt a calling to become more involved in post abortion ministry. He and his wife now coordinate Rachel's Vineyard retreats in Fort Worth, Texas. He believes that men also suffer after abortion, and that their suffering manifests in a different way. The retreats help men and couples to heal as much as it helps women. In his free time, Steve enjoys writing and taking Kung Fu classes.
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Carrie had an abortion when she was 23. Three months later, she was in another crisis pregnancy and back at the abortion clinic. In a moment of grace, she was led to leave. This was the beginning of a long and ongoing process of conversion and healing. Carrie gave birth to that child and four years later they entered the Catholic Church together. Nurturing her relationship with Jesus in sacred scripture and the sacraments continue to strengthen Carrie on her journey. Carrie has felt called to reach out to others, women and men, who have also suffered this tragedy. She has told her story of hope and healing through Jesus Christ in many different parishes and on EWTN's "The Journey Home." Because of her own experience, she understands how important it is to have someone you can converse with in confidence.
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Fr. Jim is 50, a full time hospital chaplain in Minneapolis, MN. He was ordained in 1990 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Fr. Jim has served at several Rachel's Vineyard weekend retreats in the Twin Cities. He is active in the charismatic renewal, in the Secular Carmelites, and he is also the primary chaplain for the Twin Cities "Courage" and "Encourage" ministries to those with same sex attraction and their families. Fr. Jim can especially help with questions you may have about Church related and bio-ethics related issues.
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