iTHIRST Initiative

Recovery, Spirituality, 12 steps

English

By Leave a Comment

TV series taped in Long Hill shines hope on addiction

James Manieri, 53, was raised as a good, faithful Catholic young man in northern New Jersey and had even served as an altar server. But taking a dentist’s prescription of Vicodin at 28 years old sent him on a 15-year downward spiral of addiction, including to cocaine and heroin, and hunger and homelessness.

All that time, Manieri scraped out a life on city streets, including in Paterson, N.J., and spent time in rehab facilities, homeless shelters, and psych wards. He had been robbed, sexually assaulted, and beaten; had made two suicide attempts; and had almost died twice because of overdoses.

more

TV series taped in Long Hill shines hope on addiction

By Leave a Comment

Registration is now open for Spiritual Companionship Certification Training: Spring 2026 Session

Classes Start January 20th

Don’t miss this opportunity!

This groundbreaking training, certified through Seton Hall University’s division of continuing education and Professoinal Studies is now in its 6th year!

Don’t miss this opportunity to become an iTHIRST Certified Spiritual Companion. You’ll join the over 1,000 people qualified to assist individuals suffering from addictions and their families, across 13 different nations, 47 states, 8 different Native American reservations, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico.

Upcoming Session

Tuesday/Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Spring 2026: January 20 through March 12

Cost of Program: $675

Discounts are available for Seton Hall alumni. Interested alumni should email CEPS@shu.edu for more information. 

Our spiritual companions walk with those suffering from the weight of addiction on their healing journey. We have partnered with Seton Hall University to provide certification training for those who want to become spiritual companions.

Learn more:

Participants will learn:

  • Why addiction is a spiritual disease
  • The relationship of mind, body and spirit in the healing journey
  • Pastoral care strategies for serving the addicted and their families
  • Spiritual healing through the 12 Steps
  • And more.

Training Guide:

  • Section 1 – The Journey from Love, Grace and Freedom to Fear and Enslavement
  • Section 2 – Mind, Body and Spirit
  • Section 3 – Loving Through Pain
  • Section 4 – Finding the Road to Hope
  • Section 5 – Healing through the Twelve Steps
  • Section 6 – Grace and Healing

“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Psalm 42:1

Reel:

By Leave a Comment

Classes Start September 9th: Spiritual Companionship Training Certification

Register

Register today to attend Tuesday and Thursday evening classes taught by Keaton Douglas:

https://www.shu.edu/academics/ithirst-spiritual-companionship-training

Fall 2025 Session Dates: September 9th through October 30th

Registration is open
Tuesday/Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Cost of Program: $675

Discounts are available for Seton Hall alumni. Interested alumni should email CEPS@shu.edu for more information. 

Addiction is a defining problem of society, with physiological, and mental health components that must be addressed. Ultimately, however, the desolation, the abandonment and the guilt which are all “hallmarks” of the addicted life are in many ways spiritual problems which require a spiritual remedy.

The iTHIRST online training seeks to provide this spiritual remedy to those with substance-abuse disorders through the development and implementation of programs designed to educate and prevent, to provide support to treatment facilities and those incarcerated, and to develop an aftercare community for the afflicted and their families.

The words “I thirst” were among the last words of Christ on the Cross, as well as the words painted in every Chapel belonging to the Missionaries of Charity, St. Teresa of Calcutta’s order. St. Teresa said these words are a reminder that the Missionaries were there to “quench the thirst of Jesus for souls, for love, for kindness, for compassion, for delicate love.” 

The iTHIRST training will be taught by Keaton Douglas, co-author of The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction and founder of the iTHIRST initiative, which is an acronym for “The Healing Initiative—Recovery, Spirituality, and Twelve Steps.” The initiative seeks to give people in recovery the spiritual tools they need to stay clean and lead the faith-based fight against substance-use disorders, especially opioid use. It also educates the clergy and laity about substance abuse disorders so that the Church might be a resource for the afflicted and their families. Read more about Keaton in the articles linked.

By Leave a Comment

Exciting Grant News!

iTHIRST has been awarded a $200,000 grant in partnership with Catholic Extension, funded by the Lilly Foundation. This grant is specifically designed to bring Catholic faith-based recovery resources and spiritual consolation to rural communities across the U.S. and its territories.

With this funding, we will develop an iTHIRST app that will offer scalable recovery resources, spiritual reflections, and tools for establishing a multifaceted recovery ministry within parishes and beyond. Additionally, the grant will support 12 Spiritual Companionship Trainings in both English and Spanish over the next four years, as well as the creation of a specialized curriculum aimed at bringing spiritual consolation, hope, and healing to incarcerated youth.

We are deeply grateful to Catholic Extension for their partnership and for recognizing the profound impact of our mission!