St. Paul Inside The Walls

12-STEP RETREAT  Dominican Father Emmerich Vogt led a mission about the spiritual component of 12-Step recovery programs for people who struggle with addiction at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard in Madison June 19-21.

‘The Eucharist is synonymous with peace:’ Priest reaffirms importance of 12-Step’s spiritual dimension

MADISON  People who struggle with drug or alcohol dependency can find comfort and hope in a simple, yet powerful spiritual message that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI directed to the universal Church, not only to addicts: “the Eucharist is synonymous with peace.”

That’s one of many Christ-centered and affirming teachings that Dominican Father Emmerich Vogt imparted to the more than 50 people who attended his three-day mission about the spiritual component of the 12-step recovery program. The event was held at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization here, from Friday to Sunday, June 19-21. Participants who came to hear Father Vogt included those who are participating in recovery programs, friends and family members of addicts, and priests, religious and lay people, who minister to them.

“We are sinners, but God takes us into his arms and feeds us with his bread. The Eucharist is the central mystery of our faith, of salvation and of peace and is a mystery to be lived. We need to share our experiences of strength, hope and love in a loving way,” said Father Vogt, during his presentations on “Is Serenity a Necessary Part of Christian Life?” and “The Path to Serenity” on Saturday.

Father Vogt delivered two other talks: “The Catholic Connections in the 12-Step Movement” on Friday and “How Do the 12-Steps Relate to Catholic Biblical Spirituality?” on Sunday, which was followed by Mass. The priest, who now lives at St. Dominic Priory in San Francisco, comes from a family with some members who have battled alcohol and drug addiction.

On Saturday, Father Vogt emphasized the deepest wish that addicts hold, when praying the famous Serenity Prayer: to be at peace with themselves. We need to understand that there are many circumstances in life that we cannot control, while there are many circumstances that we can. Ultimately, we need to rely on God, the priest said.

“The devil throws the past in people’s faces to make their lives seem hopeless. We can’t control the past. We need to surrender our inability to change the past. Also, we can’t control the future. We can’t have any expectations of what might happen. We need to leave the outcome to God,” said Father Vogt.

A strong faith gives addicts the needed “spiritual and moral antibodies” to help fight their addictions that help them say “no” to drugs and alcohol and build up their own virtue, said Father Vogt. “What we do spirituality affects us psychologically and physically,” said Father Vogt, who noted that the world continues to be fraught with insanity — with horrific crimes like mass murders — because we all have been born with a “lack of felt grace” and “sin has wounded the integrity of our nature.”

“God created us for love and happiness. Only grace and love will save us. St. Paul said that love is the only thing that never passes away. It continues on into eternity,” the priest said.

On Sunday, Father Vogt spoke about the spirituality of each of the 12 Steps, noting that the last step invites participants to evangelize. Having experienced a spiritual awakening, they should carry the message of the 12 Step principles to people, who still suffer, and practice them in all their affairs.

“This means that, if we have been spiritual transformed, people will begin to observe it in our relationships and in our community lives,” Father Vogt said. “We must remember that this growth is a process with one of the growth directions being toward God. The gauge for successful daily living involves honesty, purity, unselfishness and love,” he said.

The three-day mission dovetailed with St. Paul’s weekly “Scripture and the 12 Steps: Recovery with Christ” program, moderated by Father Paul Manning, executive director and diocesan vicar for evangelization, and MaryTheresa Conca, administrative assistant. Sessions — which are only meant to supplement regular 12 Step programs — take place on Sundays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. One participant in the Sunday sessions, who attended the mission, was Dianne Roberts of St. Patrick Parish, Chatham. “When I’m working the program, I feel the Holy Spirit working through me. The most important relationship in my life is the one between God and me and I keep working on that relationship. I’m accountable to life my life to honor God and do his holy will,” Roberts said.

Allan Wright, St. Paul’s academic dean, noted that all Catholics, not only addicts, could do well in applying the principles of the 12 Steps in their own lives. “Who hasn’t admitted that they are powerless and turned their lives over to God? Who hasn’t taken inventory of their lives, admitted their sins and asked for God’s forgiveness?” said Wright, who noted that those spiritual realities are imbedded in the first few 12 Step principles. “We can all spiritually connect with the 12 Steps — whether we call them 12 Steps or not — which can impact our Catholic witness.”

[Information on “Scripture and the 12 Steps: Recovery with Christ” program:
MaryTheresa Conca, (973) 377-1004.]