Keaton Douglas Q & A: Become a Certified Spiritual Companion
Join us at 6 p.m. Eastern August 6th!
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recovery
A Day of Hope & Healing: A Catholic Response to Addiction
Classes Start September 9th: Spiritual Companionship Training Certification
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.
Hope Zone
Join via Zoom
We discuss our heartaches and our hopes, and how our spiritual lives really do matter in our recovery! This recovery and faith fellowship welcomes those whose lives have been affected by any addiction in any way, and those who are ‘recovery allies’ – who just want to do their part in finding a solution to this deadly scourge. After all…it takes a village!
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!