A Catholic Recovery Program?

[winginitx]

I am so glad I found this thread about this topic. Having been affilated with the leadership of the largest CR group in the midwest for over 2 years, and a Catholic, I think I bring a certian amount of credibility to the table.

I will give you my thesis and reasons:

Thesis: Celebrate Recovery (CR) has a strong institutional anti-Catholic bias, but IMHO, does God’s work, helps thousands with their struggles to lead rich and rewarding lives devoted to Christ. These two items are not mutally exclusive.

I have been in recovery for porn/sex addiction for that time and got introduced to CR by a Christian counselor. Let me say this, and please read carefully: Most of the individual CR members and the local chapters welcomed me graciuosly and never made me feel isolated or uncomfortable. In fact, I was kind of proud to be the ‘token’ Catholic and answered many questions about my faith. One chaptrer I did visit did chastise me with sa smile for my Catholic faith and were determined to ‘fix’ me.

The truth about CR for me, came out last year while at the Annual Summit at Saddleback Church in California attended by thousands and thousands. My first clue was when inquiring at the information desk about any Catholic churches represented here that hold CR chapters (I had heard there was one in California and I wanted to make a connection). The two ladies behind the booth laughed hysterically, saying I ‘won the award’ for the funniest question of the summit. When they saw I wasn’t laughing, they re-couped and said, “…but wouldn’d that be great?”

I shook it off as I have run into many disgruntled ex-catholics (in CR circles, they call themselves 'recovering Catholics) and chaulked it up to some having bad experiences in the Church - which I grieved deeply for them.

So, I went to the tent section where each state had their own large tents - in my quest to find the sole Catholic Church who hosted a CR chapter. When I spoke with the state rep - and I didn’t identify myself as a Catholic - he stated that, “…we did have one, but that closed a while ago. CR is just not designed to work in a Catholic setting.”

I was dumbfounded and shocked. Then it hit me: CR has hundreds of chapters; thousands of members all over the world; translated into several languages - AND NOT ONE WAS IN A CATHOLIC CHURCH? Why is that?

I stumbled to the large meeting hall feeling naked in a sea of thousands. I was alone. During the event, CR debuted their new commercial/promotional CR video in the meeting hall. There I heard a woman in the video state that she was “…a former Catholic who knew only a fear-based God.” WHAT!

I felt like I got sucker-lunched. Let’s be clear: This was not an ad hominen comment by one individual. It was a professionally produced CR promotional video meant to - not foster anti- catholic bias perhaps - but cater to a segment of lasped or hurt Catholic community in a slick marketing appeal.

I was so upset. I met with the number 3 man in charge of CR and discussed my concerns. He stated that CR has tried to get into the Catholic community, but he stated Catholic leaders would not bend to the program content and they were not willing to budge.

So, friends, you can make up your own mind. When I got home, even though it crushed me, I severed my ties with CR - but not the friends I made there. I cannot be associated or affliliated with an organization that is hostile to my faith I hold dear.

Let me also say this - and this is why although I refer people to CR because they do good work- I don’t refer Catholics there. CR is a bona fide recruiting tool for the host church. That is not hidden - its in the leadership material. I am not faulting them for that either.

But I found myself drifting toward the protestant faith. Every time I heard a sponsoree give a testimony at the service, I got more and more inculcated into their faith bit by bit. At one point, I spoke with my wife about going to that protestant church instead of weekly mass at our Catholic church. It was my good Cathoic wife who stood firm and later made me see what was occurring.

let me reiterate and be clear: CR is a good and effective program. The people there are genuine, caring and warm and the program works. But it is doctrinally different than a our Catholic faith - and at some point, that comes out clearly and you start to see it. I can’t tell how many testimoinies I heard from ‘ex-catholics’ and it broke my heart.

Yes, the Church needs a recovery program of its own, and it is to our discredit that we don’t. I am working on that locally.

Hope that helps.

 

[Alan_Owings]

NO reason to start a program when a Catholic program exists and it is Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery only requires that the higher power be Jesus. Nowhere is one required to follow any Protestant doctrine. Nowhere does CR material conflict with Catholic doctrine. Let us not forget that those in other Christian denominations are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I have personally seen ex-Catholics return to the Catholic Church while attending Celebrate Recovery in fact I have helped some to do so. Remember Catholic means universal. Any recovery group in a Catholic church should be open to all people regardless of denominational differences. I see more Catholics coming to different Celebrate Recovery meetings but none of them have left the Catholic Church nor have I seen anyone encouraging them to leave the Catholic Church. No one has ever tried to encourage me to leave the Catholic Church in the over 3 years that I have been an active leader of CR. In time we hope to see Celebrate Recovery spread to many other Catholic churches within our diocese.

 

[Alan_Owings]

I know of only one Catholic Support Group in Sacramento - Celebrate Recovery at Immaculate Conception Church in Sacramento - www.immaculateconceptionsacramento.org
They meet every Thursday at 7PM.

 

[GCTSgrad]

I have not read the entire thread so I might be repeating something which has already been said. I saw Calix mentioned as being only for alcoholics, but that is no longer the case; Calix is for anyone in any 12 step program, or for anyone who has an interest in such. Their original 'preamble" or opening statement has been retained and that speaks only of alcoholism. I like Calix because it brings Catholic faith and the principles of recovery together. It is in addition to whatever 12 step program a person is working.

 

[acacia12]

I have not read the entire thread so I might be repeating something which has already been said. I saw Calix mentioned as being only for alcoholics, but that is no longer the case; Calix is for anyone in any 12 step program, or for anyone who has an interest in such. Their original 'preamble" or opening statement has been retained and that speaks only of alcoholism. I like Calix because it brings Catholic faith and the principles of recovery together. It is in addition to whatever 12 step program a person is working.

Ahhh…thank you for this update. I’m in NA. This is very helpful. God Bless All

 

[petitfleur]

I am going to suggest something to you…it will mean keeping an open mind and trying something new…go to Lorna Kelly’s website and see if you can either order her book or get a CD of one of her talks. If you cannot find it through her website go to Dicobe.com and order AA talks by Lorna K., Father Tom W. out of Oakland, California, Leslie K. out of Modesto, CA, and Kenna McK out of Pasadena, CA. I think you will find that your experience with AA is not the only experience there is…then, look for a room at your parish and see if you can start an AA group at the parish…no, it will not be a “Catholic” AA group but it will be an AA group at your parish…and you will find, as I have, that those people who want to go to AA and truly have a spiritual awakening as a result of the steps will come to your group. If you want to PM me I will share with you my particular experience with doing just such a thing.

Good luck and God bless…
My experience with CR is similar to the one you have had with AA… one of the reasons I don’t like CR? It is run by one of the evangelical churches here in Modesto and goes out of its way to draw Catholics away from the Truth. I may have to tell people in AA to knock off being a bigot and remind them of the Traditions but all the Catholics I know there - including some with 30 plus years - are still faithful Catholics…
So, do not give up. I didn’t like the AA I was attending so I started two new groups…remember that old AA saying about all it takes is a resentment and a coffee pot?

A good post. I still go to AA after 19 years to remind people in the rooms that it is OK to be Catholic if I hear negative talk about growing up Catholic. I would not negate what you hear in the rooms because they had negative feelings toward growing up Catholic. I don’t see the benefit for a group designed only for Catholics. Go to meetings, set a good example on sobriety and your faith. I became a Catholic because of AA and an example set to me by a lovely woman in the program. I think you are missing some opportunitys here. I am NOT telling you to try and prostelitize (Spelling?)

 

[LSK]

A good post. I still go to AA after 19 years to remind people in the rooms that it is OK to be Catholic if I hear negative talk about growing up Catholic. I would not negate what you hear in the rooms because they had negative feelings toward growing up Catholic. I don’t see the benefit for a group designed only for Catholics. Go to meetings, set a good example on sobriety and your faith. I became a Catholic because of AA and an example set to me by a lovely woman in the program. I think you are missing some opportunitys here. I am NOT telling you to try and prostelitize (Spelling?)

ME TOO

If you are EVER in Modesto, come to my homegroup. Wednesday nights, 5:45pm. Room 5 JPII Center at St Joseph’s Catholic Church. Oakdale Road and Lancey. Bring your Big Book - it is a step and tradition study.

 

[Mike_H_SS]

I just picked up my 2 year chip in AA. I got sober about the same time I came back to the Faith. (And at the same time I quit smoking, and began to face my same-sex attraction. As a priest suggested once, I’ve got a full plate.)

My experience in AA regarding attitudes toward Catholics and Catholic teaching has been mixed. The program counsels tolerance, but also explicitly emphasizes spiritual progress over spiritual perfection. Thus, not every sober person – least of all every sober lapsed Catholic – is going to have a friendly attitude toward Catholicism at first. Some may never achieve such an attitude.

What’s more, irrespective of (but not unmindful of!) the priest scandals, the formation even of faithful Catholics during my lifetime seems for the most part to have been quite poor. Besides a lack of clarity on what we actually believe (such as Purgatory, the Trinity, etc.), an emphasis on such rote essentials of faith as do get taught seems to obscure or confuse the message of the urgent need to live the Faith authentically through a daily encounter with Christ and the active practice of the works of mercy. Thus, many Catholics in AA – to say nothing of non-Catholics – have a foggy idea at best of what the Church teaches and why She exists.

Some AA meetings I attend (in a very “liberal” part of the US) are peppered with Catholic bashing. Others, few to be sure, offer one or multiple sharings of Catholic witness. As I see it, if I’m to bolster my faith and my recovery, I need to be open to opportunities to share my witness as well. That largely means showing up and not being afraid to talk about my faith when it’s appropriate. It also means not only supporting the recovery but also praying for the salvation of my fellow AAs, even the most obnoxious ones, all of whom Christ died to redeem.

 

[The_Bucket]

Non-Catholic recovery programs are a great first step in bringing people back to the faith, but it’s just that. A first step. Good for keeping people on the straight and narrow when it comes to their specific issues but one needs to continue the journey beyond that.

And it seems like you’re doing just that Mike, so good on you! I think the emphasis on spiritual progress rather than perfection is actually a good thing. We should aim for perfection but addicts especially love to beat themselves up over falls and use them as excuses for relapses. That’s why it’s a blessing that we have the confessional in the Church. It’s been an invaluable resource for me when I feel like I’m slipping in my own recovery from pornography addiction.

My recovery program includes a definition of sobriety of “gradual victories over lust” and there are plenty of times where I feel like lust is winning, even if I haven’t gone all the way and acted out. Confession is a perfect place to take those feelings, acknowledge those failures and get the slate wiped clean. My in-person program is a good tool to learn from others about how they dealt with setbacks, how they maintain their sobriety and how they are branching out into the world.

Bottom line is that I take what I can from those programs and leave anything that’s anti-Catholic or even anti-Christian in general. I just focus on the positives. And then I bolster that with my own prayer life, monthly (at least) confession and engaging with my parish.

 

[iamamiracle]

I too am a recovered alcoholic (by the Grace of God and the help of the 12 step program, I will have 40 years of continuous sobriety on September 27th). My observation is that many of us come to the program afraid of God, whatever our religious background. I was a lapsed Catholic when I came to AA because when I went to Mass as a practicing alcoholic I heard only condemnation. After two years of white-knuckling my sobriety someone suggested I fire my God and hire one who was everything I wanted God to be – kind, loving, supportive and accepting of me. Amazingly this is exactly the God I found 10 years later when I decided to return to the practice of Catholocism. I know that the Catholic Church and the Bible did not change in the years I was away from the Church. I changed. I learned to be open-minded, to be accepting of others and to listen more than I spoke. When I came back to the Church I fell in love with every aspect of the Church. I try in every way to practice my Catholic upbringing as well as practice the 12 steps in my life. I know that having a Catholic based recovery program would be a nice option for me, but I have been around long enough to know that foundational Truth is not always something an addict can hear because alcohol and/or drugs or whatever the addiction may be. Sometimes the spiritual journey we take carries us along many divergent paths, but eventually with a heart open to God for help and guidance we will make the journey successfully, whether it is the AA way, the Celebrate Recovery way or the Catholic Church way.

 

[Frances_McLean]

I think it’s a wonderful idea - a Catholic recovery program. My experience with AA was not quite like Bennie P, in that I don’t remember too much Catholic bashing. During my first go around with AA, I was as fallen-away a Catholic as one could get, and if there was any “bashing” going on, I probably would have participated eagerly! But I can relate to the "new age "experience as you described it. I remember being overwhelmed by the whole “high-power of your understanding” thing. AA was very effective the first few years of sobriety, with the help of several wonderful sponsors and a few core meetings that I attended regularly. However, there came a point where I just felt that everything I needed to stay sober I was able to get from God through His Church. With a vigorous application of Catholic moral practices such as daily examination of conscience, humility, chastity, fasting, prayer, I just don’t see a need to utilize the 12 steps. After all, if the steps themselves were supposedly based on Judeo-Christian beliefs and values, why not just go straight to the source? I would probably benefit and enjoy meetings where Catholics recovering from addiction were more focused on Christ and applying Catholic principles to their recovering lives.

 

[Frances_McLean]

I also think a Catholic Recovery Program would be wonderful !!! . Are there any such groups in Glasgow ? I attended A/A meetings and i’m sorry to say they did nothing for me .

 

[acacia12]

I recently left the 12 step fellowship. I am not into powerlessness,the disease theory,allergy theory. Yadda,yadda,yadda. Hearing the same war stories over and over again. Do not want to be associated with a competing religion. I like the St Jude Retreats Program. They also have a home programme.

soberforever.net/

 

[petitfleur]

ME TOO

If you are EVER in Modesto, come to my homegroup. Wednesday nights, 5:45pm. Room 5 JPII Center at St Joseph’s Catholic Church. Oakdale Road and Lancey. Bring your Big Book - it is a step and tradition study.

Leslie, somehow I just now noticed your response! I promise to visit your group if the opportunity arises!!!
A year later I stand by what I said. If you have not found a good group please continue looking. Look for meetings where people are talking about solutions instead of complaining or one upping each other on their drunkolouges. People who are seeking to improve their lives instead of living in the past. People that smile and laugh and talk to new people, instead of ignoring the new faces and gossiping with their friends.

 

[decatholic]

Leslie, somehow I just now noticed your response! I promise to visit your group if the opportunity arises!!!
A year later I stand by what I said. If you have not found a good group please continue looking. Look for meetings where people are talking about solutions instead of complaining or one upping each other on their drunkolouges. People who are seeking to improve their lives instead of living in the past. People that smile and laugh and talk to new people, instead of ignoring the new faces and gossiping with their friends.

Nice response! Speaking about the solution attracts people looking for the solution.

 

[decatholic]

For Catholics, however, something more is needed that can not be found in their Twelve Step meetings. They realize that the Twelve Step program advocates recourse to a “higher power” and God, but they also know that Twelve Step programs are necessarily non-denominational. Having been raised in a church rich in tradition, dogma and ritual, these recovering alcoholics begin to yearn once again for the faith they probably have neglected or abandoned. At this point the Calix Society can say: “Come back home. You must maintain your sobriety through your affiliation with Alcoholics Anonymous, but let us help you to regain the spiritual life without which you may not succeed in the never-ending fight against your addiction.” Perhaps the disease never will be conquered completely, but the sincere men and women of Calix have the answer of the Calix Society: “Substitute the cup that sanctifies for the cup that stupefies.”

The calixsociety.org

 

[chaste4Christ]

I am Catholic who is in recovery for alcoholism and drug addiction. I am currently involved a Christ-centered 12 step program called Celebrate Recovery which was developed by Saddle Back church in California. It uses basically the same 12 step approach as AA but it has support groups for many different areas of recovery, chemical dependency, co-dependency, sexual addictions, anger, sexual and physical abuse, the list goes on and on. As a Catholic I see a need for a Catholic Recovery program similar to this which puts Christ and the Church as an essential part in the recovery of its members in need. But Celebrate Recovery is a protestant recovery program.
Many in the Church have found recovery in AA and it related programs. But I also see this as problematic for many Catholics which seek help. In AA, NA, al-anon other non-Christian spiritual programs I have seen many active Catholics become more dependent on going to meetings and trashing the Church for never teaching them that God was merciful. I have seen very active Catholics who will go to AA meetings every day of the week and totally quit being involved in parish life at all, things like this I seen hundreds of times.

But I see other problems with AA. I have done alot research on Bill W, the roots of AA and the influence of New Age spirituality in program and its founders. The problem of New Age influence in AA really dates back to its beginnings. Both Bill W and Dr Bob was associated with a spirituality movement which seemed to be a Christ Centered Group as we all know in AA circles called The Oxford Group, Bill pulled away from that group to concentrate on Alcoholics. The Oxford Group went on to be the Moral Re-Armament movement lead by a Dr Frank Buchman. The Catholic Church gave warnings about this group from the beginning, because of its Cult-like evangelism and principles it incorporated. This group became very powerful throughout the world and spread its methods even into politics and non-Christian religions. Its effects spread through many members of mainline churches throughout the world. Bill W incorporated many of the methods used by Bachman into the AA program, he just put a different spin upon them divided them into the 12 steps and begin the movement of AA. Bill W. himself adhered to many New Age and occult spirituality techniques and practices which can be confirmed in biographies about Bill W, even in official AA material. Many things that even Fr Dowling warned Bill about. Of course in the beginning many of the people drawn into AA had Judea-Christian upbringings and it seemed to be a generic form of Christianity. Many will point out the influence Fr Dowling had on the program, but did he have an influence on the program or did Bill W have more of influence on him. Bill W. talked Fr. Dowling to experiment with LSD with him to expand on his spirituality.

My sobriety though 12 stepped based, it is not “AA”, it was suggested I go to AA by the leader of the Celebrate Recovery group I attend, during my early days of drying out. I had resigned my job and had too much time on my hands so during those first days of not drinking and having a place to go which had four to five meetings a day was good, but I saw from the beginning that the old timers were drawing new comers away from their Christian beliefs and claiming to have the “Truth” which didn’t include Christ in any shape or form. It is strange now how I see many of the guys that started back at that time and how they (the very few still in recovery) have become almost clones of their sponsors. I hear over and over AA members claim to have had a spiritual awakening in one breath then curse God and the Church in the next. These are the old timers in the groups in this area. The only reason I attend AA meetings now is to give encouragement to other Christians that attend, but the longer they are in AA many tend to reject the Church and the vast majority quit doing any Church related activities at all. AA had been accused of being a cult forty years ago by those in the medical society, but now it has become acceptable, which I believe is because so many in the psychiatry field have adopted many of the teachings of Carl Jung into their practices and that New Age influence was one of many of the influences which Bill W bought into. I could go on and on. Do your own research for I’m not an expert, but it might surprise you.

I truly believe that the Catholic Church, those of us Catholics that are in Recovery, need to be more aware of influence of the New Age spirituality on all of our culture and AA in particular and need to actively find a way to serve alcoholics and others in need within the Church more, other then to depend on groups like AA or protestant groups like CR

I do not doubt nor challenge those Catholics that have long term sobriety in AA, nor do I judge their sobriety, what I would like to discuss should Catholics develop a Catholic Christ-centered recovery program and how could we do it?

I have experienced the same issues. Just as New Age, an HP (figment of ones own imagination) and everything in between are predominate in many 12 Step meetings, as Catholics, who happened to become addicted, we are called to be witnesses to Christ, even when we are behind enemy lines. Every disrespectful, hateful Catholic bashing comment is an opportunity for me to pray for that person. I pray that their redemption is near at hand.

 

[cranblarry]

I know this is an old post, but I thought you might be interested to know about Catholic in Recovery. There is a Facebook page and a website. Scott Weeman founded this non profit and has been ramping up in the San Diego area but is planning to go nationwide. If you are in the San Diego area, you can attend meetings at St. Joseph’s Cathedral downtown, or at St. Brigid Parish in the Pacific Beach area.

May God be with you today and always!