Last week I shared with readers of Ignitum Today the wonderful work Comunita Cenacolo does for people who struggle with addictions of all kinds.

A lot of the article comes from my many previous writings about Cenacolo here. This time, though, I also included some comments from a friend of mine who graciously shared with me her experience with the community:

I can’t speak from any personal experience, so I spoke with my friend Kim who has had three younger siblings enter the Community. ”Before my siblings entered community,” says Kim, “it was extremely hard and painful. I really feared for their lives on numerous occasions.” Desperate to get them help, they had tried conventional forms of rehab and other accommodations to no avail. Then, her father heard about Cenacolo from a parish priest who had helped another family get their son into Community.

“My dad began meeting with the other family to learn more about Cenacolo.” After several meetings, says Kim, he knew Cenacolo was the right place to turn to. Since then, “the community has changed them and my family so much.” The main change, obviously, being an increase in their faith.

Their family has been helped, too, Kim says, through the family retreats, the fall festival and the monthly first Saturday meetings that allow them to walk with their family member(s) in community. “At the first Saturday meetings, we discuss a topic that makes us reflect on our lives. It may be about our selfishness, our anger, forgiveness, etc. We are usually asked to make commitments at the meeting to better ourselves, ie, go to adoration, practice humility.”

To those who are going through something similar in their family, Kim says not to lose hope. “I’ve seen what God’s grace can do. Also, don’t be afraid to push them to do something they don’t want to do.’

Once again, If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, do not hesitate. Give the Community a call to see if they can help. It is free for all who enter and there are houses for both men and women. They focus not just get people off drugs, but helping them find true peace and freedom that comes only from a life in Christ and giving them the tools to deal with their defects when they re-enter the world and all its temptations. This is the kind of healing that needs to take place in order to truly build up a culture of life!

This video is in German, but it still gives you a pretty good idea of what life is like in community:

Please click here to read more about this community and how you can contact them.