Divine Mercy Sunday 2025

Posted on April 25, 2025 by paulcoholic

(NOTE: This is combined from previous posts on Divine Mercy Sunday)

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. I do hope that you take advantage of the tremendous source of healing, forgiveness and grace that this day brings. It is a feastday established by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000 when he canonized a Polish nun who had received messages (or “interior locutions”) from Jesus in the 1930’s. (These are an accepted part of Catholicism, although not binding upon the faithful. Apparitions like those at Lourdes and Fatima and messages such as those received by Sr. Faustina (now Saint Faustina) do not add anything new to God’s Revelation to humanity. They are merely signs that the Good Shepherd is doing His work and is reminding us of certain necessary things. Quite often apparitions and locutions occur during critical moments in human history, indicating that the Lord’s “sheep” are going astray and He is coming after them.)

Jesus’ messages to St. Faustina concern God’s immense love for people and His boundless “ocean of Mercy” to which we are all entitled. No matter how dirtied we are by the sins of our past, when we dip into the ocean of Mercy we are scrubbed clean. God’s mercy is available to us for the asking, and is the source of immeasurable graces.

The devotion and practice of Divine Mercy is critical, I think, to anyone in recovery. It fixes our brokenness and mends our wounded souls. It teaches us that God is a loving Father, that Jesus is our brother and the Holy Spirit our infallible guide.

It was important to me, and critical in my recovery and how my Catholic Faith became more important than the Twelve Steps in maintaining my sobriety.

I had drifted away from the Catholic Church in 1987 thinking that religion was just human nonsense designed by the powerful to control people. I never doubted or disbelieved in God’s existence, as I’ve always regarded atheism as a supremely irrational and stupid human notion. I did feel, nevertheless, that religion was pointless. Anyway, to make a long story short, I drank to excess, abused it, and ended up returning to live with my Mom for 10 years. Originally I was to be her caregiver (my alcoholism was manageable), but for a while I was the person being cared for. (See also Drunkalogue.) My Mom watched EWTN a lot. Aside from the Daily Mass, from which I got a daily injection of Truth and sensibility from the sermons, she also watched the “Chaplet of Divine Mercy” each morning. She eventually taught it to me, particularly around Divine Mercy Sunday.

I think it was her daily praying of the Chaplet that brought me back into the Church. It also was, and continues through this day, to be a source of healing and mercy.

This is important to us Catholic alcoholics and addicts. We are so broken and wounded from our past. For many the past is just too much and they never fully escape from its haunting.

The all-encompassing nature of Divine Mercy heals our souls and enables us to draw upon the endless reservoir of God’s Mercy. It is a tremendous aid in our spiritual growth and progress. It led me back into the Catholic Church, with Her fullness of the Gospel Truth and the sacramental life and graces. It helps you to achieve a more fuller life.

To whet your appetite, the following are two important excerpts on Divine Mercy Sunday from St. Faustina’s Diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” where she wrote down her spiritual experiences during the 1930s when Jesus was communicating with her by interior locutions (the numbers refer to the paragraphs in the Diary where they can be found.)

300 ... on this day, tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy. 699 … My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

Much of this you can obtain at other times of the year; you can receive a plenary indulgence by going to Confession just before Mass, as well as on other designated days (Holy Days of Obligation.) A plenary indulgence is, according to the website of the Catholic Bishop’s of the United States:

“Furthermore, for reception of a plenary indulgence, which grants the remission of all temporal punishment due to sin, in addition to this good work or act of devotion, the Church specifies four conditions: (1) sacramental confession, (2) reception of Holy Communion, (3) prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, and (4) complete detachment from all sin, even venial sin. It must not be thought, however, that such acts of ours are somehow of themselves sufficient to earn the remission of the temporal punishment for sins. Our efforts, themselves the work of God’s grace, express our openness to receive God’s mercy. In the work of our salvation, it is always God’s grace that is primary, with a power that far exceeds all our efforts.”

Courtesy: USCCB

The key elements of the Divine Mercy Devotion are:

Please click on each of those links to learn more! You can also click on this: Divine Mercy to explore anything else I wrote on it.

The Divine Mercy Devotion, and Divine Mercy Sunday, are perfect for those of us broken, bruised, and wounded by life, our sins, and our addictions. Throw yourself into the arms of God’s Merciful Love.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Examinations of Conscience from the USCCB

Posted on March 2, 2025 by paulcoholic

I ran across a reference on Spirit Daily to the USCCB’s Examination of Concience page. They list several for different states of life:

Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments

Examination of Conscience in the Public Square / (también en español)

Examination of Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching / (tambien en español)

Examination of Conscience for Children

Examination of Conscience for Young Adults

Examination of Conscience for Single People

Examination of Conscience for Married Persons

Please visit the page right here: Examinations of Conscience | USCCB:

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Announcing the Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery!!!

Posted on March 2, 2025 by paulcoholic

Ash Wednesday is this March 5th and on that day begins the “Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery!”

I’ve written about it before: Reminder post, and for the details on how to pray it and who might be interested, (and it’s NOT just for alcoholics and addicts, but for anyone with persistent character defects they hope to be rid of) just scan the QR code…

…or go to the special page I’ve set up: Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery Page

Please share the Page and the graphic! Thank you!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Novena for alcoholics to St. Onesimus begins!

Posted on February 7, 2025 by paulcoholic

From an upcoming book I am writing:

St. Onesimus was mentioned in St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon. He was a slave who escaped and was later baptized, and served St. Paul before being sent back to his master. St. Onesimus’s faith in the Gospel of Jesus, preached by St. Paul, overcame an obvious reluctance to return to Philemon. His story can inspire alcoholics and addicts, who often struggle with doing what they often rather not do. St. Onesimus should be considered the patron saint of those who need courage to overcome their reluctance or natural aversion to doing something.

And since his feast day is February 16th, this means that a novena to him begins either today, February 7th, or tomorrow, the 8th. Here is a prayer that In wrote for that “upcoming book.”

St. Onesimus, disciple and servant of St. Paul, you discovered the liberating graces of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Asked to return to a situation you would rather have avoided, please intercede on behalf of all alcoholics and addicts and show them how the courage of the Gospel can give them the strength and fortitude to do the rightful things they’d rather not do.

From an earlier post on St. Onesimus:

In St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon, the Apostle reveals that Onesimus, a slave of Philemon who escaped, possibly with stolen property of his master’s, has been with him for some time and has been of valuable service. Onesimus has also been baptized and as such is now a brother in Christ to Paul and Philemon, as the latter is also a Christian. However Paul is convinced that due to the Christian charity that Philemon has shown in the past, he will take back Onesimus and greet him as a brother, equal in dignity and will not punish Onesimus or re-enslave him.

And so Onesimus is sent back to Philemon by Paul, with this Letter as a sort of greeting and passage.

I’ve always been intrigued by this. Imagine you’re Onesimus. You’ve been a slave. There must have been a reason why you escaped. Was Philemon cruel? Or did you just have an instinctive aversion to being considered property of another? You just saw an opportunity to leave and took it? Anyway, the punishment for escaped slaves was most likely death. Probably painful and not quick if you’re also guilty of theft. And now your new friend, whom you’ve been serving and who has treated you like an equal, a person, is sending you back to your old master. With full confidence that Philemon’s Christianity is all that is standing between you and a painful termination.

Would you want to return?

I didn’t think so. Me neither.

But Onesimus did. He probably did not go willingly, but apparently his faith in the Gospel of Jesus that Paul preached was enough to convince him that it is the right thing to do. So Onesimus’ faith overcame his possible very strong natural lack of inclination to return.

I think for that reason St. Onesimus should be of interest to alcoholics and addicts. Not that he was one, but we all do not want to do the things that we have to. Our addictive personality may make this disinclination stronger in us than in most people. “Normal” people can overcome unwillingness seemingly by just going ahead and doing the thing. But we have to use our spiritual toolkit to convince ourselves to “get going” and do the thing. We have our daily meditations, slogans and other aids to get us to do things that other people just do.

St. Onesimus can be our aid in this. Although I don’t think he is the patron saint of anything, he should be the Patron Saint of People Who Really Do Not Want to Do the Things That They Really Have to Do. ( I have to find a shorter, catchier term. “Patron Saint for People Who need Courage?” Still rather long…)

Welcome to all listeners and viewers of the The Bear Woznick Adventure Radio Show & Podcast!

Posted on January 18, 2025 by paulcoholic

Welcome to all listeners and viewers of the The Bear Woznick Adventure Radio Show & Podcast and Bear Woznick Spirit of Adventure YouTube subscribers! I hope you enjoyed the January 18th episode and Bear’s interview with me, which can be watched right here:

If you aren’t already a reader of this blog, please let me introduce myself. My name is Paul Sofranko, aka “Paulcoholic” and I’ve been doing this blog for 18 years. I found nothing much like it and so I launched it in early January 2007. You can read more about its story on this page. You can read some more about me on this page, I tell my drunkalogue right here; and here’s my reversion story and here’s a post about my miraculous Militia of the Immaculata hat.

Before I go any further, you may be interested in a Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery

There are 54 days beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Divine Mercy Sunday. The very Sunday when the floodgates of God’s unfathomable ocean of Mercy open up and spill out over every sinner who in humility begs for forgiveness is very day the completion of a Miraculous 54 day Rosary Novena ends!

Think about that. Are you still trapped in the miseries of alcoholism and drug addiction? Or, do you know someone who is? This may be the perfect time for deliverance from that slavery. And it may not even be for alcoholics and drug addicts. Sex and porn addicts, take comfort! Your deliverance may be at hand! You will be beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very Mother of Purity, for her intercession to liberate you from lust! How can she not help you? Visit this post for more info, including hown to pray the novena: Announcing a Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery (and other sins!)

Now, on to what brought you here!

Bear made me mention my book, “The Sober Catholic Way’s” title about 700 times on the show 😉

“The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these things have helped me stay since May 22, 2002. Will I ever drink again? Quite unlikely, but the tools to help recover from a relapse are in every chapter! The love and mercy of God is everlasting and endless!

The idea for the book germinated one day after I was reviewing Sober Catholic’s posts. I realized that I hadn’t thought or done much about many of the things I had written about. This culminated in the realization that I have not always practiced what I’ve been “preaching” and therefore thought it might do me some good to organize much of the material into a coherent form that would help me reduce my hypocrisy. Seconds later I decided it might make for a nice book to publish and take its place next to my earlier Catholic recovery devotionals, “The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts” and “The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics.”

You can get it here (links to the Rosary and Stations book follow):

It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback.

It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook!

It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

It’s also available as an ebook through: Kobo, Everand, Fable, Palace Marketplace. Aussie’s can go here: Angus & Robertson.

You might try this Universal link: here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop. (Some of the logos have trackers in them and these may be blocked by browser extensions. That’s why I listed them individually right above this.)

I have two other books that might interest you!

Do you like saying the Rosary? Well, have I got a devotional for you!

“The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts” helps people to reflect on their recovery and relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself. Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks, months, or years, the reflections will lead them to meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far. The book takes a time-honored prayer and brings it into a useful format for people to pause and reflect on their recovery, their relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself. Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks or months, or many years, the reflections for each Mystery of the Rosary will help them meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far. Over the years, their thoughts on each meditation may change, depending on “where they’re at” in their recovery journey. It’s also available through Amazon and B&N and other retailers; vist the link in this paragraph’s first sentence.

And that’s not all!

Lent is coming up, and if you need some assistence with the Stations of the Cross, then The “Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics is a book that is rooted in an ancient Catholic devotion. It is intended to assist Catholics and other Christians find deeper meaning in their struggles with alcoholism, by connecting the oftentimes hard road of sobriety with Jesus’ suffering road to His Crucifixion. The reader sees that their old alcoholic ‘self’ is being led to the Cross and the joy of eventual resurrection of a new sober self can follow. Whether they are still drinking and struggling, or have been sober for many years and still have difficulties coping with sobriety, this book should help readers maintain that sobriety.

Wait! There’s more!

It is still in its nascent stages but I’m beginning to sell online products related to Sober Catholic at my Shop Sober Catholic store on Pixels———> ARTWORK BY SOBERCATHOLIC.

Here are some of the goodies you can buy!

First up is the official Sober Catholic Coffee Mug!

Imagine drinking your hot, deelish coffee (or tea or hot chocolate!) in a mug with the logo of your favorite Catholic sobriety and spirituality blog!!! Just click on the words or the image below! You can even customze the color! Blue, brown, yellow, green, whatever you prefer! It also comes in two sizes: “Small” is 11 oz, while “Large” is 15oz! (You can click on the images to buy…)

The first Scripture verse I memorized was Romans 12:2.

“And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.”

I thought it perfect for a mug as it recalls the essence of the Sober Catholic message. In our Catholic sobriety, we do not conform to the World, but in our newly sober life, we follow the will of God and do what is good and pleasing to Him.

You can find the Sober Catholic Romans 12:2 Coffee Mug on Pixels.

There are other products, such as a throw pillow: Sober Catholic Throw Pillow and a weekender tote bag: Sober Catholic Tote Bag, for example, as well as the official Sober Catholic Rosary Case! At 6”x4” this is perfect to keep your Rosary and even Divine Mercy Chaplet handy! And like everything else, you can customize the color!

It also comes in a larger size, which should be big enough to store your copies of “The Sober Catholic Way,” as well as my Rosary and Stations books, or, if you prefer, a good Catholic Bible. 🙂

All are customizable.

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

I will be on the “The Bear Woznick Adventure” this Saturday Jan 18!

Posted on January 17, 2025 by paulcoholic

This upcoming Saturday, January 18th,

I will be on the “The Bear Woznick Adventure!

This is Bear

Click on the image above to learn all about him!

Click on the image (or go here) to learn about his apostolate!

Bear interviewed me back in November. The interview was regarding my new book, “The Sober Catholic Way.” I thoroughly enjoyed the experience; it was like sitting across the table from him, just another dude at a tiki bar somewhere downing fruit juice drinks, enjoying the tropic breezes and watching the Pacific swells roll in, all the while yakking it up ‘bout stuff. Here’s what the program description on iCatholicRadio (where you can listen every 6PM ET Saturdays) says about it:

Bear’s rare adventures uniquely qualify him to be the adventure guide on this show that challenges men to deeper conversion and to servant leadership. Bear’s engaging interview style opens his guests to go deep and share their adventures, misadventures, conversion to the Lord and their walk with God.

That last line I emboldened is so true.

I told him stuff.

You should listen in.

“The Bear Woznick Adventure” airs on EWTN Radio on Saturday evenings 6PM ET/5PM CT (please refer to your local listings for any changes). It should be on your local EWTN radio affiliate, but if they do not carry it, please email them requesting that they do so for the future. But until then, you can tune in to EWTN Radio on the web, or use their app for Apple devices or their Android app, You can also download the iCatholicRadio app for Apple or Android.

You can also find Bear on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser, ListenNotes, Podcast Addict, as well as the aforementioned iCatholicRadio.

His show also appears on YouTube: Bear Woznick Spirit of Adventure. Please take a look at it, it’s a good source of Catholic spirituality and his show is particularly good for men (and the women who love them.)

“The Sober Catholic Way” helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic.com, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression!

“The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these things has helped keep my sobriety intact since May 22, 2002.

It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback.

It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook!

It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

It’s also available as an ebook through:Kobo, Everand, Fable, and Palace Marketplace. Aussie’s can go here: Angus & Robertson

…and you might try this Universal link: here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop. Some of the logos have trackers in them and these may be blocked by browser extensions. That’s why I listed them individually right above this.

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Announcing a Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery (and other sins!)

Posted on January 13, 2025 by paulcoholic

I know Ordinary Time has just begun since the Advent/Christmas season ended with yesterday’s celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. However, I’d like to give you a heads up about a Lenten observance you may be interested in.

Lent begins on March 5th this year. Last year I prayed two successful Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novenas. So I got to thinking, “Lent is 40 days, Sundays are not counted towards those forty. But if you did add them, that would make it close to 50…which is almost 54 (NOTE: My train of thought sometimes takes a while to build up steam) hmm, what if I were to count 54 days starting on Ash Wednesday; when would that end?” And so I broke out the 2025 calendar, and starting on March 5 with “1,” I continued until I got to “54” and do you know what day the number 54 fell on?

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!!!!!

I don’t think that’s a coincidence. The very Sunday when the floodgates of God’s unfathomable ocean of Mercy open up and spill out over every sinner who in humility begs for forgiveness is very day the completion of the Miraculous 54 day Rosary Novena ends!

Think about that. Are you still trapped in the miseries of alcoholism and drug addiction? Or, do you know someone who is? This may be the perfect time for deliverance from that slavery. And it may not even be for alcoholics and drug addicts. Sex and porn addicts, take comfort! Your deliverance may be at hand! You will be beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very Mother of Purity, for her intercession to liberate you from lust! How can she not help you?

So, get the word out. Start preparing. Get in the spirit by ramping up your own Rosary devotion. (Need help? There’s this book: The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts) Start working on your examination of conscience. We’re supposed to do that every evening before bedtime (just a review of our day and where we might have offended God or not done His will; but we do a more detailed one just before going to confession. Here’s great guide to Confession, complete with an Examen.) If you are a Twelve Stepper, now’s a good time to do (or repeat) your 4th Step Inventory and find someone to do the 5th Step with.) Try doing the 10th Step throughout your day.

To sum it all up, this Lent of 2025 could be the season when you finally become free of your deepest, darkest character defects. I have loads of things wrong with me, and so I will definitely be doing it.

So, what are the basics of this novena, and is it truly miraculous?

The Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena originated in the late 19th century in Naples, Italy, when a young girl suffering from an illness thought to be incurable prayed to Our Lady for help. Mary appeared to her and promised her healing if she prayed three novenas. The girl did so, and was miraculously healed. In a later apparition, Mary specified that the full prayer should have 3 novenas in petition, and 3 novenas in thanksgiving.

How to pray the Novena:

The novena consists of five decades of the Rosary (one set of mysteries) each day for twenty-seven consecutive days in petition; then immediately five decades each day for an additional twenty-seven consecutive days in thanksgiving, regardless of whether or not the request has been granted yet. (This is where faith comes in; you’re thanking the Blessed Virgin and God for granting the request without first wating for it to be granted. That’s gratitude, too.)

The first day of the novena always begins with the Joyful Mysteries (regardless of what day of the week the novena is started); the second day, the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed; and the third day of the novena, the Glorious Mysteries are prayed. The fourth day of the novena starts all over with the Joyful, etc. and continues on in that sequence (Joyful-Sorrowful-Glorious) throughout the 54 days of the novena. The Luminous Mysteries aren’t included only because they did not exist when Our Lady taught this novena to the girl.

There are special additional prayers to begin and conclude it during all the days of petition and thanksgiving, as well as at the end of each decade. Please visit these sites for information on how to pray the Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena:

THE MIRACULOUS 54-DAY ROSARY NOVENA courtesy of Roman Catholic Man

How to Pray the 54 Day Rosary Novena courtesy of Hallow

FIFTY FOUR DAY NOVENA (This is a downloadable pdf file; it also has more prayers than the previous two links. I said my two successful ones using the format given by Roman Catholic Man and Hallow.)

Is this novena truly miraculous? I believe so. I think you do have to follow the format provided by the instructions Inlinked to; I’ve said 54 day rosary novenas in tha past without the special petitions, and the results were not what I hoped for. Faith abides. If you are sincere, and if the petitions are in accordance with God’s will for you, then there should be some positive result. A full healing? Perhaps! Just increased strength and determination to recover? Possibly? Doors opened for you to be admitted to a treatment facility? Maybe! How the petitions are answered is up to God but they could very well include a complete remission of your urges to drink, drug, lust and whatnot.

It is said that the only prayers that God is guaranteed to answer positively are those for a soul’s salvation, since He desires that all be saved. (Even though not all are.) So perhaps connect your recovery to your salvation…. Anyway, Lent is just under two months away so we have time to plan and prepare.

Let this upcoming Divine Mercy Sunday be the best yet! May the ocean of mercy pour down upon you and completely wash away your sins and leave you renewed and refreshed and forgiven!

Please read these posts on Divine Mercy Sunday:

Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday: A great day for those who’ve really messed things up

Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy Sunday

Donations to support my work are appreciated

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

“Jesus, what would you…”

Posted on January 7, 2025 by paulcoholic

Once or twice a year I spend a month with the devotional book “My Ideal: Jesus, Son of Mary” by Fr. Emile Neubert. (Please see this post: A wonderful book suggestion for you: My Ideal, Jesus, Son of Mary)

One of the things from that book that I wrote down on a 3×5 index card and stuck in a prayer book is the passage:

“Jesus, what would You think; what would You do, if You were in my place? Come, and make me live Your life.”

As I mentioned in the above post, the book is in the style of the Imitation of Christ. The passage I quoted is something that the Blessed Virgin Mary (as depicted by Neubert) suggests we say whenever we are tempted into sinning. I have always found it to be a powerful deterrent to sin; Satan knows this for whenever I think about invoking it, I get a strong feeling to not say it.

The book is available through the Academy of the Immaculate:…

… and Tan Books:

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

“The Sober Catholic Way” is available!

Posted on November 12, 2024 by paulcoholic

I have a new book out: The Sober Catholic Way is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life and helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression!

Discover the importance of the Real Presence, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph, St. Therese (the “Little Flower”) and Matt Talbot. You’ll get ideas on how to apply the Beatitudes, the Divine Mercy Message, as well as learning about the Apparitions of Our Lady at Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima and how they can guide one’s life. 00000 TSCWBookCover.jpg. It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback. It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook! It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Recommendation: “From Addiction to Catholicism with Deacon Lou Aaron” on Bear Woznick’s Spirit of Adventure

Posted on November 9, 2024 by paulcoholic

This upcoming Monday I will be interviewed by Bear Woznick of Bear’s School of Manliness at Spirit of Adventure Ministries. I’ve listened to his radio show on my local Catholic radio station, but have never viewed the video version. To get into the spirit, I’m spending this weekend catching up and this one from a month or so ago caught my attention:

“From Addiction to Catholicism with Deacon Lou Aaron”

In this heartfelt episode, we sit down with Deacon Lou to explore his personal journey of faith, addiction, and God’s healing power. Raised in the Catholic Church, Deacon Lou shares his struggle with alcoholism, his path to sobriety, and the life-changing moment when he surrendered to God. Through raw and honest storytelling, he opens up about how his faith was rekindled, the power of prayer, and his miraculous recovery from cancer.

Join us as Deacon Lou talks about his call to the diaconate, his deep dive into the writings of the Early Church Fathers, and how his illness became an unexpected blessing, opening doors to new ministry opportunities. His story is a testament to the grace of God and the transformative power of faith. Don’t miss this powerful testimony of hope, healing, and redemption.

It’s really interesting. Deacon Lou is another Sober Catholic (in the sense that he’s a Catholic who’s sober, as far as I know he’s not a reader of this blog) who didn’t need AA. You will have to watch the show to learn more. IT IS REALLY WORTH YOUR TIME!!!!.

My interview with Bear is about my new book “The Sober Catholic Way.”

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Sober Catholic

Catholicism, Recovery, Sobriety, Conversion, Prayer, Fasting, Repentance, Penance

Category Archives: Conversion

Divine Mercy Sunday 2025

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Examinations of Conscience from the USCCB

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Announcing the Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery!!!

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Novena for alcoholics to St. Onesimus begins!

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Announcing a Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery (and other sins!)

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!!!!!

How to pray the Novena:

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“Jesus, what would you…”

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“The Sober Catholic Way” is available!

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Recommendation: “From Addiction to Catholicism with Deacon Lou Aaron” on Bear Woznick’s Spirit of Adventure

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Now, on to what brought you here!

I have two other books that might interest you!

And that’s not all!

Wait! There’s more!

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This upcoming Saturday, January 18th,

I will be on the “The Bear Woznick Adventure!

His show also appears on YouTube: Bear Woznick Spirit of Adventure. Please take a look at it, it’s a good source of Catholic spirituality and his show is particularly good for men (and the women who love them.)

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DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!!!!!

How to pray the Novena:

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