Category Archives: St. Rita of Cascia

Fifteen Thursdays of St. Rita of Cascia 2026 begins February 12!

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REBLOGGING AN EARLIER POST:
I’m sharing this here because St. Rita’s Feast day is my sobriety date (May 22, 2002) and I think she picked me to be one of her clients. I’ve been doing this devotion for the past few years.

BEGINNING THIS THURSDAY FEB 12th!!!

Quote: “The Fifteen Thursdays of St. Rita devotion — i Quindici Giovedi di Santa Rita, in Italy — takes place on the fifteen Thursdays preceeding May 22, her feast day — i.e., this devotion starts on a Thursday in February and continues on for fifteen Thursdays — until the last Thursday before May 22. Each of these fifteen days begins with the same preparatory prayer followed by a reading on the life of St. Rita, a reflection about the lesson of that aspect of her life, and a final prayer.”

Link to all the prayers including a downloadable pdf file: 15 Thursdays of St. Rita Devotio: Prayers and a downloadable pdf

National Shrine to St. Rita od Cascia (USA)

#RitaUnderstandsUs

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

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!!)

My Homemade St. Rita Chaplet and How to say the Chaplets of St. Rita of Cascia

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In this post: The Six Decade Rosary of Lourdes and St. Bridget, I mentioned that a couple of months ago I made a Chaplet of St. Rita. I had already posessed one commercially made from the National Shrine of St.Rita of Cascia, but it had contained no instructions on how to pray it. So, I spent some time online looking for them. I found some instructions, but they didn’t match the arrangement of the beads I had. 

This is the Chaplet I ordered from the Shrine:

Just ten beads, arranged in a circlet. But I kept finding instructions all over the web for a chaplet of three groups of three beads, like this one: (SPOILER ALERT!! this is “My Homemade St. Rita Chaplet”)

After a while, I managed to find a site which had the correct prayer instructions, (courtesy of the Shrine, no less!) and here are those instructions:

The Chaplet of St. Rita of Cascia
(from the National Shrine of St.Rita of Cascia; Philadelphia, PA, USA)

This chaplet consists of 10 beads on which are recited, alternately the Our Father and the  Hail Mary while reflecting on the following meditations:

 a) beginning at the centre piece of St. Rita, compose yourself for prayer and begin with a spiritual  communion, or Apostles Creed. Then move on to the first set of two beads and announce the meditation.

 1) I rejoice with you, O blessed Saint Rita, who were showered by God with blessings of sweetness whereby you remained always faithful to your baptismal consecration. Pray for me that I may avoid every sin.

 Our Father, then a Hail Mary.

 2) I rejoice with you, O glorious Saint Rita, who from childhood were blessed with the gift of prayer and the contemplation of Jesus crucified. Obtain for me fervour in my prayer and compassionate love for Jesus in his sufferings.

Our Father, then a Hail Mary.

3) I rejoice with you, O fortunate Saint Rita, who learned how to draw from your Crucified Saviour the strength and the courage to bear the trials of life out of love for him. Pray for me that I may imitate your virtues and experience the favour of Jesus crucified.

Our Father, then a Hail Mary.

4) I rejoice with you, O most blessed Saint Rita, who were so loving as to suffer for Jesus, and so came to receive on your forehead a thorn from his crown. Obtain for me a sign of heartfelt contrition and the grace of sorrow for my sins.

Our Father, then a Hail Mary

5) I rejoice with you, O Saint Rita, who walked always the path of faith, hope, and love, as wife and mother, widow and religious, and who now enjoy the rewards of heavenly glory. Look upon me in my needs and obtain for me the grace to follow your example, fulfilling all the duties of my state of life so as to share with you some day the Father’s presence.

Our Father, then a Hail Mary

b) (optional) The chaplet may be completed with the following prayer:

O Holy Saint Rita, exemplary Augustinian Sister, we honour you for your devotion to the Passion of Christ. Although your early life was filled with disappointment, frustration, and unceasing tragedy, you never lost faith and trust in God. For this you are the patroness of the impossible, and our inspiration and advocate in desperate circumstances.
Amen.

Novena Prayer (optional):

O holy patroness of those in need, St. Rita, whose pleadings before thy Divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for thy lavishness in granting favours hast been called the Advocate of the Hopeless and even of the Impossible; St. Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and of such compassionate love for thy Crucified Jesus that thou couldst obtain from Him whatsoever thou askest, on account of which all confidently have recouse to thee, expecting, if not always relief, at least comfort; be propitious to our petition, showing thy power with God on behalf of thy suppliant; be lavish to us, as thou hast been in so many wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of thine own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in thee. We promise, if our petition is granted, to glorify thee by making known thy favour, to bless and sing thy praises forever. Relying then upon thy merits and power before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray thee grant that (here mention your request)

(These instructions generously given by The National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia, 1166 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146-(215)546-8333)  

But what about the other kind? The three groups of three beads? I hadn’t felt like finding a source online and ordering one; I figured the one from the National Shrine is THE CHAPLET. But still, I really love St. Rita and not having “the other kind” bothered me.

As I mentioned in that post on the Lourdes and Brigittine Rosaries, I have a lot of rosary parts lying about, many are reddish and I attribute that color to St. Rita. So I set about to salvage parts of this or that rosary and came up with “the other chaplet,” pictured here, again:

I did have to order the medal of St. Rita; that is courtesy of the National Shrine (a little blurry, but good enough):

How to pray the “Other version”

This chaplet in honor of St. Rita, patroness of the impossible, consists of nine beads. The chaplet is comprised of three sets of three prayers each as shown below, completed with the recitation of the prayer to St. Rita.

Intentions may be made at the beginning or end of the chaplet.

Make the Sign of the Cross on the Crucifix.

Recite the Our Father
on each of the first three beads.

Recite the Hail Mary
on each on each of the second three beads..

Recite the Glory Be to the Father
on each of the last three beads:.

On the medal of Saint Rita, recite:

O Holy St. Rita, exemplary Augustinian Sister, we honor you for your devotion to the Passion of Christ. Although your early life was filled with disappointment, frustration, and unceasing tragedy, you never lost faith and trust in God. For this you are the patroness of the impossible, and our inspiration and advocate in desperate circumstances.

NOTE: This concluding prayer, “O Holy St. Rita, exemplary Augustinian Sister…” is a common prayer for St. Rita (I think it’s even in the Mass in her honor, but I’m not sure and don’t feel like looking it up. 😝)  

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!!)

My 23rd Soberversary

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NOTE: This is adapted from earlier posts.

On this day in 2002, I had my last drunk. I have conflicting memories of what happened (I may have to search through old blog posts of prior soberversaries, but even in those I recall not completely recalling events.) At any rate, it’s of no consequence any more. Twenty-three years and everyone involved in my life back then is either dead or disappeared. Sorrow for the former, good riddance (mostly) for the latter. We move on and consign the past to God’s mercy, the present to His grace and the future to His Providence.

Today is also the Feast day of St. Rita of Cascia, who I think picked me to be her client, talked to me once, and can be a great aid to those of us in recovery, and those who are lost. She and many other of my saintly friends have become increasingly important as I trudge my way to my (hopefully) happy destiny. I wrote about them in my book The Sober Catholic Way, which I discussed quite a lot in recent interviews with Anne Costa and Bear Woznick.

If you would like to help me celebrate, you can buy it. It has a page which I keep updated as to its availabiity.

“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!

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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.

“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 the author keep his sobriety intact since May 22, 2002. Will he 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!

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

It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Barnes and Noble. For others, just go here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop.

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And there are my two classic Sober Catholic Books: 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 finddeeper 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.

and “The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts” which:

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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.

It 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.

Click on those links (or the ones at the bottom of the post) to find out where you can get them.

If you have the books and would  just like to contribute to help me defray the costs of this blog (hosting is not free, nor is the web address,) you can PayPal Me. (My real name IS Paul Sofranko, in case you get worried when you go to PayPal. Any amount is appreciated! My hosting and web address bill is due in a couople of weeks…

I have one last book, it isn’t intended for people in recovery, rather for Catholic creatives. However, and this thought ocurred to me, if you have been clean and sober for a while, and wonder what to do with yourself, then:

Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics may be the book for you! You’ve ‘fixed’ yourself, maybe you can help fix the culture!

BuildingaCivilizationofLoveCover81224-4.1 copy.

“Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

“”Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” is a call to arms, or rather, a call to pens, paintbrushes, and video cameras, for creative Catholics to take up St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s call to infiltrate pop culture and help alleviate the ills that pervade contemporary society. St. Maximilian saw back in the 1920s how the use of cinema, radio, and mass-market books was corrupting society. He thought that those same tools could be used as a force to counter this corruption. “Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” tells how the teachings of the Catholic Faith can be used to provide a road map out of our current morass and a blueprint to build a more just and fair society constructed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and other elements of traditional Catholic Social Teachings (CST).

Furthermore, it explains through the example of three critical apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima how she herself suggested strategies and alternatives to the dehumanizing and increasingly pagan contemporary culture we have today.

“Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics “concludes by showing how the Catholic Faith can be used to provide a road map out of our current morass and a blueprint to build a more just and fair society constructed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and other elements of traditional Catholic Social Teachings.Interested? It’s available as an ebook through Amazon KDP! Don’t like ebooks? Here’s the paperback version link!

Once again you can also PayPal Me to support my work here. I really do appreciate any contribution!

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!!)

Paolo Mancini and the eternal implications of being misunderstood

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Paolo Mancini was the husband of St. Rita of Cascia, who is the patron saint for my alcoholism recovery because she picked me to be her client and my sobriety date is her feast day. St. Rita is known for many things, among them she is the patroness of those in abusive marriages. This was because Paolo was reputed to be a violent, hot-tempered man.

But Paolo is slowly being rehabilitated. Why? Soot from candle smoke. The following block quotes are from The Catholic Travel Guide.

Very often Saint Rita is portrayed as a long- suffering and even abused wife, whose husband was a violent drunkard, and an unfaithful spouse. The tradition behind this story dates far into history and has been repeated almost without variation down to our own time. The fact is that the story is rooted in a tradition now known to be erroneously based, as well as inconsistent with other details of Rita’s story.

After Rita died her:

casket was decorated inside and out with images depicting Rita, Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as well as with symbols illustrating the spiritual influences on her life. There was also engraved upon its outer cover a poem which spoke of Rita, her suffering and her love. Pilgrims would come to pray before this casket, which was never buried in the ground but remained in a small room within the convent, exposed to the view of visitors. Here they would place devotional candles as signs of their affection and reminders of their prayers. Over many decades the smoke from these candles darkened the casket, eventually making it difficult to read clearly the poetic inscription. In time someone noticed that the poem spoke of a maritu feroce or violent husband.

It was not until the 20th century, when the nuns of Cascia had the monumental casket cleaned and restored, that the maritu feroce vanished. It was discovered that the actual wording was tantu feroce (so violent) and the context clearly referred to the fierce wound of Rita’s thorn, a suffering of quite a different kind.

Source: The Catholic Travel Guide.

Everyone is misunderstood to varying degrees. Perhaps people who are recovering from alcoholism and addictions are more often misuderstood than others. We have experienced our fair share, (and then some!) of misunderstandings. Unless we are famous, or infamous, these vanish after our deaths as we pass from the memories of the people we knew. Sometimes after death, the bad memories that people hold of the dead fade, and mostly good memories remain. Perhaps this is an indication of the person’s eternal fate? 

Everyone today who is familiar with St. Rita of Cascia is also aware of Paolo’s reputation. Which might suck for him given that he’s been dead for around 600 or so years. But does it suck? 

If you’ve read biographies of St. Rita, you learned that her husband died a violent death. He was ambushed and murdered by rivals of some sort. To me, this indicates that while his reputation for being a violent and abusive husband is likely false, it does not necessarily follow that he lead a life of heroic virtue and was a living saint. The circumstances about his death clearly imply that right or wrong, he had enemies who took his life. So, he wasn’t a bad husband, but he may have, in years past, been involved in shady dealings. 

I say “in years past” because it can be taken from St. Rita’s biographers that she did pray intensely for Paolo’s conversion for many years after they were married. So, piece together the clues, and it is reasonable to conclude that for the first bunch of years after they were married, Paolo may have been a loving husband as regards to Rita and was a good provider; however, he may not have been an erstwhile churchgoer, and had incurred a few enemies along the way who wanted him dead, years after Rita brought him back into the Church.

After Paolo’s murder, Rita was distraught over his murder. He had died a sudden death with no preparations for it; as in he didn’t confess his sins beforehand or had viaticum. She grieved over the fate of his soul and prayed hard for his salvation. St. Rita’s biographers indicate that she had recieved a signal grace from Heaven that her prayers for her dead husband’s soul moved God to mercy and Paolo was received into the loving arms of Jesus.

But does this matter now to Paolo? The title of this post is “Paolo Mancini and the eternal implications of being misunderstood.” If Paolo is in Heaven as the story suggests, would he care that he is still regarded as an abusive husband? 

For that matter, does St. Mary Magdalene care that she is known by many as the prostitute that Jesus saved from being stoned? There is some doubt amongst scholars as to which of the numerous “Marys” is the prostitute. 

If you are in Heaven, would you give a shredded scapular over what people back on Earth think of you? You’re in the Beatific Vision, that blessed realm of Heaven where you enjoy God’s Holy Presence and you see Him as He is. What difference does it make what those still trudging their road of destiny think of you? If and when they arrive, they’ll learn the truth about Paolo and the Magdalene, and THAT will remain with them as opposed to the transitory reputation wrongfully attributed to them. (And if they end up in the Other Place, who cares what they thought?)

What’s the lesson in all this as it applies to Sober Catholics? Keep fighting the good fight, “keep your side of the street clean” as they say in AA, work on your soul, keep trudging onward towards Heaven and fret not about what others think of you. Easier said than done, but after no one is saying or doing anything on Earth and in Time, Truth reigns forever in Heaven and people will get to know the Real You. (I’d LOVE to meet Paolo. His wife is my patroness, and his first name is similar to mine! PS: I will have to edit some of the posts I’ve written about St. Rita as they still allude to Paolo’s old reputation. )

Incidentally The Catholic Travel Guide references The Precious Pearl: The Story of Saint Rita, written by Fr. Michael DiGregorio, OSA as the source for the information on Paolo. I have this book, and I highly recommend it, as well as anything else from Virtual Gift Shop at the National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia.

HEADS UP: Thank you for reading this far. As a reward, you get to know that the annual Novena to St. Rita begins!!!! Here are two good ones:

NOVENA PRAYERS to St. Rita of Cascia from the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia (Philadelphia, PA, USA)

St. Rita Novena from Pray More Novenas

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!!)

The Fifteen Thursdays of St. Rita devotion begins!

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REBLOGGING AN EARLIER POST: I’m sharing this here because St. Rita’s Feast day is my sobriety date (May 22, 2002) and I think she picked me to be one of her clients. I’ve been doing this devotion for the past few years.

BEGINNING THIS THURSDAY FEB 13th!!!

Quote: “The Fifteen Thursdays of St. Rita devotion — i Quindici Giovedi di Santa Rita, in Italy — takes place on the fifteen Thursdays preceeding May 22, her feast day — i.e., this devotion starts on a Thursday in February and continues on for fifteen Thursdays — until the last Thursday before May 22. Each of these fifteen days begins with the same preparatory prayer followed by a reading on the life of St. Rita, a reflection about the lesson of that aspect of her life, and a final prayer.”

Link to all the prayers including a downloadable pdf file: 15 Thursdays of St. Rita Devotio: Prayers and a downloadable pdf

I may have erred in saying it begins tomorrow; the quote says “for fifteen Thursdays — until the last Thursday before May 22”. Starting tomorrow will make it end ON her feast day of May 22nd, which occurs on a Thursday this year. So, it should have started last Thursday. I don’t believe the mistake is all that bad, I doubt St. Rita will ignore your prayer requeats. I’ll just have to remember this for the next time her feast falls on Thursday.

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

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!!)

The Fifteen Thursdays of St. Rita devotion begins this Thursday Feb 8!

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I’m sharing this here because St. Rita’s Feast day is my sobriety date (May 22, 2002) and I think she picked me to be one of her clients. I’ve been doing this devotion for the past few years.

BEGINNING THIS THURSDAY FEB 8th!!!

Quote: “The Fifteen Thursdays of St. Rita devotion — i Quindici Giovedi di Santa Rita, in Italy — takes place on the fifteen Thursdays preceeding May 22, her feast day — i.e., this devotion starts on a Thursday in February and continues on for fifteen Thursdays — until the last Thursday before May 22. Each of these fifteen days begins with the same preparatory prayer followed by a reading on the life of St. Rita, a reflection about the lesson of that aspect of her life, and a final prayer.”

Link to all the prayers including a downloadable pdf file: 15 Thursdays of St. Rita Devotio: Prayers and a downloadable pdf

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!!)

St. Rita of Cascia website!

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I was looking up prayers and litanies to St. Rita of Cascia when I discovered this site I must have missed all these years: St. Rita of Cascia!

We need St. Rita’s prayers now more then ever. She is the patron saint of impossible causes and if you look around at all that is happening in the world today you truly feel the only way back to some kind of peace is through God’s intervention. St. Rita is a beautiful example of keeping your faith throughout any and all difficult situations. Tell us your St. Rita story.

“Tell us your St. Rita story.” Wow! Will I! I am drafting an email to the site’s manager telling her about “my” St. Rita story.

The quote I took from the site is quite appropriate. She is a saint for our times; and not just for women, although it is understandable why she appeals mostly to ladies. She is a patroness of those trapped in abusive marriages, of those with troubled children (if you’re a parent and worried about your kids, pray to St. Rita!!) If you’re a man who is a problem for the woman in your life, you might even ask for the intercession of St. Rita’s husband, Paolo Mancini. Although not a canonized saint, she did receive a signal grace that he was saved. He reformed himself years before his murder and he may be able to assist you in controlling your temper and violent moods. St. Rita can be a powerful intercessor for anyone who had certain plans for life but finds them thwarted; and especially for those who, like me, are ‘impossible causes.’ If you have a religious vocation, she can help you discern it.

Here is the page on that site for prayers and novenas to her.

Now, I gotta go finish that email to that site about my St. Rita story! Later!

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!!)

Thoughts on my 21st Soberversary and St. Rita of Cascia’s day

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Today is my 21st Soberversary! On this date in 2002 I had my last drink. Last year I wrote some deep and profound things on this day, given that then it was my 20th.

I have nothing to add to them.

Today is also the Feast day of St. Rita of Cascia, who I think picked me to be her client, talked to me once, and can be a great aid to those of us in recovery, and those who are lost.

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!!)

16th Bloggaversary of Sober Catholic: How I stayed sober for almost 21 years

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Today marks the 16th Bloggaversary of Sober Catholic. In honor of that, I’ve edited and cleaned up a messy note I wrote who-knows-when on “The Sober Catholic Way.” It is a summary of everything I’ve been doing since I became sober on May 22, 2002. Some I do better than others. 

This was originally a long, 2,000ish word post. There was the summary you see in the next paragraph followed by a longer version that fleshed out the details. But then I decided this morning during a feeling-sorry-for-myself pity party that the longer version is itself a summary of an even much longer version that’s been lurking in my head for 15 or so years. That being a book on the topic of “The Sober Catholic Way of Sobriety.” Or something like that. I shall begin working on that right away. I do not know when it will be finished.

The summary of the ‘Sober Catholic Method’ or ‘Way’ or ‘whatver’ is:

Wow, that’s a long list, Paulcoholic? Isn’t a Twelve-Step program simpler? Yeah, maybe. But doing the above has kept this sick puppy sober for over 20 years and I knew that AA couldn’t. Some people demand happiness in this life and they find it often by avoiding suffering all costs and more and more turn to things which can only be called ‘addictions.’ Whether it is the typical alcohol or drugs, or an inordinate attraction to the self, or to the Internet and social media, or  to fandoms (pop culture things like TV franchises, movies, comics or other entertainment stuff.) Someone may not be an alcoholic or a drug addict, but I betcha they’re ‘addicted’ to something. You need a lot of tools to crowd all that stuff out or at least keeping them in their proper perspective is an attribute of the Sober Catholic Method. Or Way. Or whatever… 😉 So this all could be a wholistic approach to dealing with life in general and addictions in particular.

There are probably books or devotions that should be on there, but this my list. Yours may be slightly different. Anyone who takes a look at the list will arrive at the conclusion that it is simply a decent Catholic lifestyle. We are all supposed to go to Mass, Confession, and live the Gospel life which is learned by studying the Bible, Catechism, lives of the Saints and their teachings along with a few particular devotions to assist us on our way – to help us ‘stay on the beam.’ So be it. What makes it a ‘Sober Catholic Way?’ Life hasn’t been perfect for me nor am I a serene, happy saint-to-be. Life sucks at times, and I am often cranky and melancholic. But God never promises happiness and peace in this life. Only in the life to come. This should help me get there.

If you’ve appreciated this blog as well as this post, you can PayPalMe a non-tax deductible donation (my real name is Paul Sofranko, like the destination link says.) I will greatly appreciate every donation. (I do have plans for the money; plans to buy software which will help out in the production and marketing of self-published books. I figure that if I can raise sufficient funds through the kindness of strangers, then I’ll feel responsible and actually start working on the planned books. More on that later. )

 Or, you can just buy a lot of my books I’ve already done:

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!!)

Today is my Twentieth Soberversary

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I have been sober today for twenty years. To me, anniversaries ending in “0” or “5” are monumental. I don’t know why, it just seems that way.

I had to let that sink in. Twenty years. While I am not trying to act out the sin of pride, if you knew me way back when around 2001 and 2002, you’d laugh at the idea of me getting twenty days sober, much less twenty years.

I never had that ‘spiritual awakening’ described in the Big Book of AA; no ‘white light’ or anything like that. My spiritual awakening was of the more gradual kind. I stopped going to liquor stores because I was physically unable to go (which caused a brief period of sobriety of 3 1/2 months); then I returned to drinking over the stress of visits of certain family members; then I stopped because I ran out of booze and it was too late to get to a liquor store. I think during the day I was prevented from going by the family visit and a miscalculation of the amount of booze I had on hand. I don’t recall. So, at some point late in the evening of Wednesday, May 22, 2002 I stopped drinking and went to bed. This was followed by 88 hours of insomnia culminating in some trippy hallucinations. 

I’ve done AA. I began attending meetings in June 2001; didn’t sober up at first until February 2002, but like I said above, relapsed in May. I haven’t considered myself a regular meeting goer since 2004, when I left a meeting in my old Home Group in anger. (I may have blogged about it before, but according to a search of my blog, I apparently didn’t. I’ tell that story in a separate blogpost.) I briefly returned to regular attendance in 2014, but it only last a month or two. I didn’t fit in. I guess I’m just a misfit in a fellowship of misfits. I find AA and the Twelve Steps useful, whilst I don’t bother with meetings, I frequently read the literature when I need a dose. 

Anyway, today is the Feast Day of St. Rita of Cascia. She is known as the patron saint of impossible cases. And, I was quite an impossible case. It’s possible I imagined it, but I think she picked me to be her client. And here’s how she can help YOU in your recovery. As long as I’m posting links to posts on her, you might like this one.

Two other saints assisted in my recovery. One is St. Maximilian Kolbe, founder of the Militia of the Immaculata. I found the his Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin to have been particularly crucial as it provided a tremendous flow of daily graces firming up my convictions and direction (staying sober); as well as of providing a framework within which I can develop my Faith. (NOTE TO SELF: please complete the ‘Daily Marching Orders from Mary’ post. It’s been in draft mode long enough.) Another is the Venerable Matt Talbot, whose way of recovery focuses on transferring your love of booze on to Jesus. You make a gift to Him of your addiction and a relapse means you are taking that gift back. His Way of Recovery is detailed in this excellent book, which all “Sober Catholics” should  have. (There are other saints I am devoted to. St. Therese of Lisieux is another. That book I linked to in the previous sentence suggests that she is ‘the theologian’ of the Matt Talbot Way of Sobriety. Study her “Little Way” and things won’t be the same for you; particularly her thoughts on God’s mercy vs His judgment.).) 

I think I’ll go write that post about why my last regular AA meeting was in 2004 (I don’t count my return in 2014 as it didn’t last long.)

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!!)