CV NEWS FEED // A ministry providing spiritual companionship for those suffering from substance abuse is coming to the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio.
Catholic Times Columbus reports that the Diocese has begun an iTHIRST spiritual companionship pilot training program “for anyone who has a desire to walk with families and individuals struggling with the spiritual disease of substance use disorder.”
iTHIRST is an initiative of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, a religious order consisting of priests and brothers who help the poor and abandoned, including those struggling with addictions, according to its website. iTHIRST offers training for those called to be the spiritual companions of those struggling with addiction, support for those in prison or treatment facilities, and community support for those who formerly struggled with addiction.
The Diocese’s iTHIRST pilot training program is currently training about 40 participants, including two deacons and a priest, according to Catholic Times Columbus. After the training series is complete, priests will be given the information to share with local parishes. iTHIRST companions will be able to serve on both parish and diocesan levels.
Tammy Foeller, one of four people developing iTHIRST’s implementation plan for the Diocese, began working to bring the program to the Diocese after experiencing the pain of addiction within her own family.
“The darkest days of my life were spent bearing the pain of my daughter’s addiction, with no place to share my grief. A spiritual companion would have been a source of light during those times,” Foeller said. “I don’t want anyone else to suffer the way I did. I am humbled by the opportunity to walk beside someone who doesn’t want to remain in the darkness.”
