iTHIRST- SPIRITUAL COMPANIONSHIP FOR THOSE IN RECOVERY
We know that addiction of all kinds affects so many people and that every one of us has someone we love who has been touched by this in one way or another over the years, or we have struggled with addiction ourselves, of whatever kind.
There is a spiritual dimension to addiction and recovery and so we have to help people in whatever way we can spiritually, along with their physical and emotional needs. We always yearn for a more intimate relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, who truly is our higher power. But for those persons with addictive behaviors who long to be free of those addictions, often that relationship with Jesus Christ has become blurred and needs to be brought back into focus.
There is a program called “iTHIRST”- the words of course taken from the last words of Jesus on the cross- and which is a ministry aiming to help a person in recovery connect their participation in a 12-step program to their parish community. It was developed by Seton Hall University and six of our fellow parishioners have been trained in this program to be spiritual companions to those who are in recovery.
A spiritual companion is not a counselor or a sponsor, and is not meant to take their place in the person’s recovery. What a spiritual companion will offer complements what a counselor and a sponsor and a 12-step program offer. The spiritual companion walks with a person in recovery and helps them rebuild their spiritual life, rediscovering the grace that God never ceases to offer to them.
The spiritual companion helps a person in recovery to come back to being the person they are meant to be.
If you would like to participate in this program and connect with a spiritual companion, please contact one of the six parishioners who were specially trained for the iTHIRST program.