Day of Recollection held for DePaul students with recovering substance abusers

The Lenten season is upon us, as are thoughts of reflection and repentance. On Tuesday, February 15th, Straight & Narrow, Inc., a diocesan agency of Catholic Charities, shared in a “Day of Recollection” with approximately 140 junior year students at diocesan De Paul High School in Wayne, NJ. A total of 18 clients, both male and female, made their way to St. Catherine Church in Mountain Lakes with Msgr. Lou Bihr, Straight & Narrow director of pastoral care, to speak to the students about their struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and to deliver a powerful message about the importance of saying no to drugs and alcohol.

Straight & Narrow had been invited by Fr. Geno Sylva, school president, to participate in this wonderful opportunity. The day was part of the ongoing efforts at DePaul to encourage students to “Stand Tall” and resist the use of drugs and alcohol.

After a morning prayer service, students met in small groups with the clients from Straight & Narrow. The men and women talked to the students about how they began using drugs and alcohol and the effects their addictions have had on their families, their friends, and themselves. One student, Leann, remarked that the small group sessions were “like putting a face to the actual stories rather than reading it or hearing second hand. (At first) I didn’t take it seriously; I thought it was something that they did to themselves. Now I understand.”

Reflecting on the small group experience, Dawn, a client, shared that she was “grateful to be able to educate students about what drugs can do you and your family because at that age I wasn’t given the opportunity to learn the devastation, and my only prayer is that I changed someone’s heart.”

Later, four Straight & Narrow clients shared their personal experiences with the larger audience as part of a panel discussion and question and answer session. Said Fr. Sylva, “The wisdom and courage of the clients was phenomenal! I could see the genuine concern that the Straight & Narrow clients had for the students.”

By connecting the students with real people who have struggled with addiction and are working toward recovery, the students were able to gain a more personal understanding of addiction. They learned that addiction shows no discrimination, and can affect anyone at any given time. Teacher Joel Wagoner remarked “The kids were really receptive to the message. Looking around at the (student’s) faces while they were talking, I can see that they were receiving what was being said and they will remember what was said.”

The day concluded with a mass celebrated by Msgr. Bihr and a prayer that the students and clients will carry with them the messages shared during the Day of Recollection to live a life of sobriety, recovery and faith.

For additional information regarding the Straight & Narrow Gospel Choir, Just Faith program, or Day of Recollection, contact Msgr. Bihr at (973) 345-6000 x.6206.