The patron of our parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, is a woman who offers healing and hope to all her children. As the first parish in the United States to be named in her honor, our legacy is to be “a field hospital for the wounded”. These are the words Pope Francis uses to describe the Church.
Recently, Archbishop Hebda invited our parish to participate in a pilot program for victims of abuse in the Church, and in society generally. The program is appropriately titled, “Restoring Our Sacred Trust - from Wound to Gift”. It is the hope of those parishioners involved in the project, and particularly of Father Griffith, that this new restorative justice program becomes a vehicle through which real healing and wholeness can be experienced in the lives of those who have suffered abuse.
Abuse can come in many forms. Our culture is presently witnessing the long-overdue acknowledgment of sexual harassment and misconduct as being abusive to women (and to men). Changing societal norms in regards to this behavior will safeguard the vulnerable, restore trust and help the wounded heal. In order to heal, one must confront the truth, whether that be by facing repressed memories of abuse by trusted members of the clergy, or by exposing (“Me Too”) experiences of sexual mistreatment by supposed friends, workplace colleagues or powerful superiors. As Father Griffith has said in his preaching, the path from pain to healing must involve shedding light on those dark places and behaviors that have caused so much harm.
As Roe v Wade turns 45 on Monday, is it is particularly important to recognize the wound an abortion can inflict on the woman (her child, of course) and the father. I know this from personal experience because when I was sixteen, I ended a hidden pregnancy by abortion. It wasn’t until ten years ago that I accepted the truth of that action, and sought forgiveness and healing for it. Doing so was the hardest, and most grace-filled experience of my life.
In addition to receiving personal counseling for this deeply buried wound, I also attended a local retreat offered by Rachel’s Vineyard, the largest post-abortive ministry in the world. The psychologist who founded the program, Dr. Teresa Burke, explains that the retreats are transformative because they “inspire our souls by uniting us with Christ in our deepest places of brokenness and pain”. I now want to share the joy and peace I received through my healing with others who may continue to suffer in silence, shame and sadness. Quoting Dr. Burke again, “isolation is ended through community as we find the strength, courage, and love to become radically available to others in need”. (For more information about women who have suffered emotionally from abortion and now use their suffering as a stimulus to help others, see the recent study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Winter 2017.)
Becoming radically available to others in need is what we will strive for as we move forward in creating a place of healing and hope at Our Lady of Lourdes. Whether you have been a victim of clergy or other sexual abuse, a recipient of sexual harassment, have experienced the pain of abortion, or in whatever other way you may have been wounded, we are here to help you move from wound to gift. Come, experience the healing and the joy!
Victoria Newcome Johnson Lourdes Parishioner, and Board Member of Rachel’s Vineyard - Twin Cities