My name is Catherine Frederickson, and I am a Catholic in Recovery.
I was introduced to Catholic in Recovery (CIR) in early 2023 via the Catholic Answers podcast. Catholic in Recovery provides healing from addictions, compulsions and unhealthy attachments. At the time, I was a little over five years into my own recovery journey. At first skeptical, I quickly became convinced of CIR’s value and was excited to attend a local meeting. To my surprise, there was not a meeting in Washington state! I immediately went to catholicinrecovery.com and clicked the “Start a New Meeting” link.
At our first meeting, Scott Weeman, founder of Catholic in Recovery, asked me if I’d attended any virtual CIR meetings. No, sir, I had not, but I knew we needed this ministry in Washington. I was right. To date, weekly meetings have started at six locations in our state.
In CIR, we bear one another’s burdens, encourage and build one another up. We speak freely about our own sin without fear of judgment. We proclaim God’s love and embrace his merciful solution. We combine 12-step principles with the sacraments of the Catholic Church using Sunday’s Mass readings, liturgical themes and the catechism. Having a place to come weekly to discuss practical application of the Catholic faith has been crucial for my own healing and that of our other members. CIR has been a boon in my life.
My most serious fear was that Catholic in Recovery would seek to replace the secular recovery program I love so dearly. I was happy to learn that CIR is meant to supplement, not be a substitute for, other 12-step groups. The aim is not to remove Catholics from secular recovery but to be a bridge between the pew and the 12-step home group. It gave me a place to grow in my walk with Christ and share as honestly in my church community as I do in my recovery community.
As my own relationship with Christ deepens, God has given me more opportunities to invite brothers and sisters into both communities, thus truly serving his people and meeting them in their need.
In high school, I attended several Catholic retreats. Despite invitations from my godmother, I had not been to a Catholic retreat as an adult. In May, I went to a CIR retreat in Oregon. The theme was “Come Holy Spirit,” and the sacramental nature of the retreat bore such good fruit. Many in recovery identify with the phrase “egomaniac with an inferiority complex,” sort of an “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about” type of problem. Sitting in adoration, experiencing confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament with fellows as we trudge the road of happy destiny has changed my recovery experience permanently, and I am so overwhelmed with gratitude.
On the ride home, I started planning a women’s retreat for this fall and a coed retreat for 2025. I am eager to see how the Holy Spirit works through both spaces, and I ask for your prayers as we continue to grow and serve one another.
Catherine Frederickson is a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Tacoma.
This article appeared in the August/September 2024 issue of Northwest Catholic magazine. Read the rest of the issue here.