Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

There are certain things in healing that stick out in your mind more than others. For me, it is the time I spent in the beginning of my conversion, when things were still dark, but I had grown to trust the priest who had heard my confession, and who I was now seeing for spiritual direction.

At that point in my life I was so desperate I would have tried anything just to have some hope of healing. As I have mention in my testimony, during this time I would spend hours in prayer telling Jesus that people told me he did not lie, and He promised to answer prayers and heal us, so I was not going to leave Him alone until He healed me. I was persistent and I think He knew it.

During that time I would spend a lot of time before the Blessed Sacrament, and one of my favorite things to do was the Stations of the Cross. We had a chapel in the convent of my parish where we would have prayer group on Saturday nights. This chapel became a refuge for me.

In time, the darkness began to lift and I began to feel the presence of God. It was so peaceful and comforting. I would visit that little chapel all the time to speak to Jesus and did the Stations of the Cross daily. There was something about His suffering that drew me in. I knew He understood my suffering, and I loved immersing myself in His passion because it showed me His "passion" for me.

In that chapel, I was all alone with God, falling in love, and actually allowing Him to love me. I refer to this time as my “wining and dining” phase with Christ. It was heavenly.

Things changed as they often do in parishes. The priest left and eventually Christ was removed from the convent's little chapel. I no longer had that refuge, but I will always remember it as the place where I grew to know Christ intimately.

Fast forward to now and they are selling the convent building. Recently, I have been helping the Bridgeport Diocese with some post abortion work. They have been blessed to receive the use of a convent for this work and a chapel was just restored for them, but they had no stations of the cross.  When I heard our convent was sold, I asked our pastor if we could have the stations for the post abortion retreat house.

I picked them up today. It was bittersweet. Lots of memories for me as I took the stations off the wall, but at the same time it felt so fitting.  I am so grateful that they will now be present in the place where “Entering Canaan” retreats are being held.

God is so good. These beautiful stations, so much a part of my healing, will now touch the hearts of those who come on retreat. I have no doubt that Jesus will be “wining and dining” many more souls back to His heart through them during this “Year of Mercy.”