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iTHIRST Blog // Newsletters

June 17, 2025 By Catie Wilber 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.

Filed Under: English, iTHIRST Blog // Newsletters, iTHIRST Newsletters Tagged With: addiction, alanon, CEU, faith, mentalhealth, onlineclass, recovery, training

March 21, 2025 By Catie Wilber Leave a Comment

Shalom World TV & iTHIRST

It’s Time for our iTHIRST “Close-Up”!

Keaton Douglas, Executive Director of iTHIRST, has been invited to develop a 12-episode television series exploring the intersection of our Catholic faith and addiction recovery for Shalom World TV. This global network reaches 8 million viewers across 140 countries on five continents.

Keaton will soon be meeting with the creative team, and details regarding filming and broadcast will be shared as they become available.

We are both humbled and excited that Shalom World recognizes the profound impact of iTHIRST’s mission!

Filed Under: iTHIRST Blog // Newsletters

March 21, 2025 By Catie Wilber 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!

Filed Under: English, iTHIRST Blog // Newsletters, iTHIRST Newsletters Tagged With: addiction, catholic, grant, recovery

February 4, 2025 By Catie Wilber Leave a Comment

Keaton joins Darrin Nelson’s Podcast: Catholics Living Discipleship

I’m thriled to share this recording of my recent appearance on the Catholics Living Discipleship podcast with Darrin Nelson.   

I invite you to stream this episode exploring iTHIRST, and how parishes can spiritually accompany families afflicted with substance abuse. 

A note from Darrin: 

“In this podcast video I speak with Keaton Douglas, Executive Director and creator of iThirst. The iTHIRST Initiative is a comprehensive program which focuses on spirituality in the prevention, treatment, and aftercare of those suffering from substance use disorders and their families. The iTHIRST Spiritual Companionship (ITSC) Training, is a faith-based continuing education which instructs lay leaders and clergy on the spiritual dimension of addiction/recovery, certified through Seton Hall University. This is a wonderful way to broaden how we Accompany people along their life journey at parishes.”

–Darrin Nelson

Visit Catholics Living Discipleship website:

To view the episode on YouTube, click here.

Yours in the Most Holy Trinity,

Keaton

Filed Under: English, iTHIRST Blog // Newsletters Tagged With: catholic, podcast, recovery

January 29, 2025 By Catie Wilber Leave a Comment

Announcing iTHIRST’s Bereavement Ministry: The Community of Hope and Healing

Monthly Virtual Meetings 

Second Tuesday of the Month 

7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81314354460?pwd=2F7tgVbCwKwMiQJKxZmzfGHZgoOX53.1

MISSION: This ministry derives from the need to bring those who have lost a loved one to addiction together for fellowship and spiritual consolation. We grieve not only the loss of our loved one but also the fraught experience of that beloved’s time of addiction. Whether it involvesa substance or a behavior, the afflicted are often misunderstood, marginalized, and stigmatized.

When we grieve their loss, we often carry the pain of this with us after they have gone. We know that we benefit from sharing our unique experience and learning to see it from a spiritual perspective. We invite anyone who is grieving this kind of loss to join us for these monthly virtual meetings every second Tuesday of the month from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time.

Bereavement Team:
Melinda Papaccio
Laurel Plumage
Lynn Tidgwell

Read more

Filed Under: English, iTHIRST Blog // Newsletters, iTHIRST Newsletters

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