Feb 16, 2018 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Bishop David Zubik stepped purposefully to the pulpit of the cavernous cathedral, before a congregation roiling in emotion.

“We in the church want to embrace you,” Zubik said in opening Sunday’s Mass of Remembrance and Healing, dedicated to remembering people who have died from addiction, consoling those who have lost family members and friends, and supporting those striving to recover. The service, open to anyone, attracted 350 to 400 people at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland.

Continuing, the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said, “For those who have tragically lost loved ones to addiction, we know the pains in your hearts and how they are broken. For those struggling through recovery, struggling through relapse and those in denial, we want you to know you are not alone.”

“We want to encourage you and help you, but we cannot do this ourselves. We also need God’s help.”

Following his initial remarks, Zubik requested 15 to 20 seconds of “pause” for everyone in attendance to “think of someone who is in your hearts.”

There was, understandably, a somber undercurrent to the event in the elaborate mother church of the diocese. It was underscored by tears and raw memories. Yet there was a resounding message of support, of hope.

The Catholic Church is among the religious bodies that have become proactive in the ominous fight against addiction.

“Parishes throughout the diocese have substance abuse programs for those who are addicted and those who support them,” said the Rev. Nick Vaskov, diocese communications director.

This is a national crisis and the Pittsburgh Diocese is at the geographic epicenter of the battle being waged in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is headquartered in Allegheny County, where about 650 people died of overdoses in 2017, and also oversees Catholic operations in Washington, Greene, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties.

Zubik was accompanied on the altar Sunday by at least a dozen priests from the diocese. One addressed the congregants, and his words – and candor – resonated.

“My name is Mike and I am an alcoholic,” said the Rev. Mike Decewicz, pastor of St. Juan Diego parish in Sharpsburg.

“Hey, Mike,” many in the pews, aware of the 12-step recovery group process, responded.

“I heard myself say this for the first time 13 years ago,” the Allegheny Valley-based priest continued. “It was the most frightening and humiliating moment of my life.”

That, likewise, was an early stage in his recovery, when he began to receive a lot of support while accompanied by addicts who also were trying to get out of what he called “an abyss.” Decewicz drew a parallel between an addict and a person stranded at the bottom of a well.

“You’re stuck in muck, your feet can’t move,” he said. “You desperately want to reach the top of the well, but the walls are too smooth and too high. You must have others help you.”

“This is a moment, as an addict, where you are so desperate to reach out to anyone. Then someone hears you and lowers a rope. You move up, then you slip, let go and you’re stuck again,” he said. “This happens over and over again. Something inside you tells you to keep trying, but you can’t get out of the muck. You’re ready to give up.

“But you can get out. With God, there’s help.”

The ceremony lasted about an hour and had a soothing effect on many in the cathedral. The bishop appeared to be among them.

“I want to thank all of you for coming here today,” Zubic said. “During communion (near the end of Mass), so many of you told your story through your eyes. The eyes of many were filled with tears. The eyes of many were filled with hope.”

Decewicz, the priest and recovering alcoholic, is surely among the hopeful.

“We need to journey with the addict for the possibility of hope,” he said. “We can reach out to the addict, be in the muck at the bottom of the well, loving, embracing and healing the addict. Let us pray for the grace of hope.”