EpiscopalRI Diocesan News: September 2013

Quilt honoring those who've died of addictions

By Anne M. Stone

On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in late September, thousands gathered in Roger Williams Memorial Park in the heart of Providence for the eleventh annual Rhode Island Rally4Recovery. Part of National Recovery Month, the event served as a celebration of those in long-term recovery from addiction or mental health disorders. It offered inspiration and support to those who may be wrestling with their own or a loved one’s addictions. And it spread the message that people can—and do—recover from substance abuse and mental health disorders.

The rally was equal measures entertainment and education. It featured live music, children’s activities, food vendors, and giveaways, but also inspirational speakers and access to a wealth of service providers. At its heart stood a multi-panel recovery quilt honoring those who have died of their addictions, those clawing their way up and out, and the service agencies working to help.

Among the groups sponsoring booths was Faith Infused Recovery Efforts (FIRE). This interfaith collective offered a quiet space where clergy from different traditions were available to pray with or for those in recovery. On its table sat a basket of hand-knitted or crocheted prayer squares contributed by houses of faith as a tangible symbol of their love, support, and concern. Other FIRE giveaways included hygiene kits—small bags of toiletries—and pamphlets detailing an array of social and support services available to those in need.

Prayer Orchard

“Sometimes you get worn out,” said FIRE participant Amy Saramago of the Catholic Diocese of Providence. “We are here to help folks re-energize. We’re here talking to people and trying to get the word out about what we do, and to have them know that churches are here for them.”

Also at the rally was a booth sponsored by The Blessing Way, an ecumenical, faith-based agency co-founded in 2004 by the Rev. Dr. Joyce Penfield. Penfield was a chaplain for the Rhode Island Department of Correction at the time and saw a need to offer a spiritually oriented response to the high recidivism rate and high rate of death by overdose among those formerly incarcerated. Thus came into being The Blessing Way, which provides spiritual and social support for men and women returning to Providence from prison or drug treatment programs. It encompasses housing, job assistance, life skills education, case management, mentoring, and more. Today Penfield is its executive director, in addition to serving at St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Providence.

The Blessing Way crew

“We gave out two bags of small wooden crosses at our booth,” said Penfield at the Rally4Recovery. “And everyone, everyone, wanted a blessing, and half of them started talking to me. I didn’t expect that.”

Canon to the Ordinary Linda L. Grenz (L)
& The Rev. Penfield of Blessing Way (R)

What is the role of faith in helping people beat addiction? What, practically, can churches do? It may be as simple as providing free hygiene kits to restore a measure of dignity to people in need, as FIRE did, or handing out wooden crosses and prayer squares to tell people they are loved. It could mean celebrating a Recovery Sunday annually in your faith community, or hosting recovery group meetings in your parish. Or, as with Penfield and The Blessing Way, it could mean embarking on an entirely new ministry of service to those on the path to recovery and their loved ones. We are all called in different ways. The important thing is to answer that call.

At the close of the Rally4Recovery, participants lined up with luminaria to process along the canal, joining with WaterFire Providence to transform the streets and waterways into a celebration of light and hope. It was a fitting end for a rally that is about the far greater transformation of people’s hearts, minds, and bodies—and their lives.