Rosa joined the iTHIRST Team with the fourth Seton Hall cohort in the Fall of 2021.  She was first drawn to the work of iTHIRST after having read a feature article about it in the Seton Hall Alumni Magazine in the Spring of 2020.  As a woman in long term recovery herself, she was moved by the concept of the Church taking a more pro-active role in this great societal malady, and so she reached out to learn more.  Soon Rosa was participating in the weekly Parlor Meetings, and as a “Recovery Expert”, participating in the Seton Hall iTHIRST Service-Learning Programs.

Rosa’s passion for serving the marginalized and vulnerable motivated her to connect with two ITSCs who were already serving in her parish in Nutley, Melinda Papaccio and Cathie Viera. Today, the dynamic trio are already planning future iTHIRST events, including a lecture series which has already begun.

Says Rosa, “My training has equipped me with the necessary tools to gently lead those who are addicted and their families to a gentler place of compassion and peace. My experiences in my own addiction, and the plight of others I have seen in urban areas near where I work, have shaped me into His loving conduit. I am ready to help his flock!”  Thank you, Rosa, and God bless the work that you, Cathie and Melinda are doing in your parish and beyond!