Author: James Anderson

Virtual Meeting Schedule

Christ came to save those who could not save themselves – those who were helpless on their own. The person suffering from addiction passes through death and hell, but to recover, they must be resurrected by God. Family members of those with addictions find support by meeting and sharing with others who are or have been in a similar situation. By sharing openly about solutions that have helped, family members of addicts learn new tools to take care of themselves while navigating the often challenging waters of family addiction. Join West Coast Catholic in Recovery members to pray, read Daily Mass Readings, reflect and share for first half-hour.

It seeks to serve those suffering from addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments. Anyone dealing with alcoholism, drug addiction, codependency and the impact on family, general fear, control, anxiety, pornography addiction, technology addiction, sex and relationship addiction, compulsive overeating and food addictions, gambling addiction, shopping addiction, and more. After several years in sobriety, Weeman felt a call to establish a ministry that serves Catholics seeking healing recovery from all offenses against temperance. Addiction types include gambling, gaming, shopping, spending, food or eating, exercise, and relationship addictions, codependency, love addictions, lust and pornography addictions, smoking, and many others.

Catholic In Recovery has found its way to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and we are humbled to witness God’s tender and intentional guidance as it takes root. CIR’s founder, Scott Weeman, started a personal blog entitled Catholic in Recovery in his early years of sobriety. He used it as a means to voice the importance of his 12-step recovery and how he saw it weaving together beautifully with his Catholic faith. My human pride, manifested in all of the unhealthy choices I make outside of God’s will, could be the measure of my sins.

Friday Meetings

Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix also founded a chapter of Catholic in Recovery in April, 2023. At St. Timothy’s the Catholic in Recovery core team formed in September of 2023 and weekly meetings began in November. “[In modern times] the New Age movement has really hijacked the recovery movement so it’s all about ‘mother earth’. People often change God into ‘the universe’ and I get that because our first image of God is our parents. If you had a bad childhood, you are going to have a bad image of God,” continued Manecke. For Catholics, this may sound like a familiar story because it is the story of redemption.

1. In his book, The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments, Weeman demonstrates the deep connection between the Twelve Steps and the practice of Catholicism.
2. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix also founded a chapter of Catholic in Recovery in April, 2023.
3. Christ came to save those who could not save themselves – those who were helpless on their own.
4. “The first thing I had to learn in my recovery was that there is a God and it’s not me,” said Janet Manecke, who organizes a chapter of Catholic in Recovery (CIR) at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Mesa, Ariz.
5. Addiction types include gambling, gaming, shopping, spending, food or eating, exercise, and relationship addictions, codependency, love addictions, lust and pornography addictions, smoking, and many others.
6. As a Catholic, have you ever wondered what it might be like in purgatory?

This organization was started as a call from God, and He will continue to be the source of all functions and organizational development as we reach out to serve parishes, communities, and individuals across the world. Because she was already a practicing Catholic when she joined CIR, Marcia said she experiences in the meetings a new level of God’s devotion to her. While Weeman returned to his Catholic faith as part of his journey toward sobriety, there are many Catholics and their loved ones who are affected by active addiction. If the broader definition of addiction and the above list stir up any awareness or conviction, it is a good thing. In recovery, the 12-step solution always takes us to a far better place. Addiction of any kind will separate us from God in our isolation or strengthen our faith when we ask for help.

Saturday Meetings

I would watch episode after episode of a life where I stopped blaming the people in my past or present and intentionally walked with God to become all I was created to be. “The first thing I had to learn in my recovery was that there is a God and it’s not me,” said Janet Manecke, who organizes a chapter of Catholic in Recovery (CIR) at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Mesa, Ariz. The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) answered with a clear “no.” In the face of true addiction, will power alone is not enough. Even if moderation is intended, it is impossible to maintain and the most powerful desire to stop is useless. Using the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and Catholic in Recovery principles we will examine our lives, program, and recovery through the double lens of the Big Book and CIR. The first formal Step Four a recovering person makes can be likened to the preparation for a “general Confession” made by a Catholic who has returned to the Church after being away or been received into the Church for the first time.

The organization was started by the passion of Scott Weeman as he found healing and new life through the help of twelve-step recovery and the sacramental love and mercy provided by the Catholic Church. We support parishes and communities with group resources that draw people closer to these two powerful sources of grace. It is the aim of Catholic in Recovery to share the Good News that God can bring about healing and recovery, even in the most hopeless of cases. Join other men to find hope and healing from any type of addiction, compulsion, or unhealthy attachment (alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive overeating, disordered eating, gambling, lust, codependency, and others).

Community and ministry programs available.

But do I have to wait to experience the fullness of life God has designed for me? Catholic in Recovery (CIR) offers us new direction and promises we need never be alone on our journey. In fact, this new journey is exactly what a Catholic “in recovery” looks like. When I started doing research on the subject in the late 1990s, the first thing that came up in a Google search of the term ‘Catholic psychology’ was Thomas Aquinas, whose most recent book was published in 1274!

I have practiced therapy both as a secular and as a Catholic psychologist. I have taught adult education courses on Catholic/Christian psychologies and have led retreats on the same subject. It is against this background that I eagerly read The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments and have for several months participated in the online weekly meetings for the leaders of local Catholic in Recovery groups.

Meeting Description

Virtual meetings of all types are available daily at catholicinrecovery.com. Join fellow Catholic in Recovery members to pray, read Daily Mass Readings, reflect and share for first half-hour. At the retreat, he received a whole new experience of God’s personal love for him. When her parish priest advised her to get into recovery for substance abuse, he helped her discover a local, in-person CIR meeting. She now also attends several virtual CIR meetings per week, often serving as a meeting leader and helping others to take service positions, as well. Chances are good that the average Catholic shares the pew with others who share in this suffering.