IN THIS ISSUE:

Friars Celebrate 100 Years of Serving the Homeless and Addicted Website Feature: Streaming Video of 9/11 Events at Graymoor Interfaith Religion Special, "Christian Unity" on CBS TV

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SEPTEMBER IS "NATIONAL ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDITION RECOVERY MONTH"

This month's issue of Atonement Friars eNews highlights our recovery missions, which provide relief, hope, and a better future for those seeking to stop the cycle of addiction and self-destruction.

One in three American families is affected by alcoholism or drug addictions.

The disease of addiction is a grim reality for thousands of men, women and children. It is particularly sad that if unchecked, this disease impacts one generation after another.

The Friars have been involved in the work of recovery for over 100 years.  Literally, thousands of people have passed through our doors.  Many of them return to celebrate and thank God that today they are self-sufficient, clean and sober men and women who are living productive lives — not only because of our programs — but also as a direct result of your prayers and support over the past 100 years.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Bob Warren

FRIARS CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF SERVING THE HOMELESS AND ADDICTED

In 2009 the Friars of the Atonement will be celebrating 100 years of providing counseling, treatment and a ongoing recovery programs for those working to change their lives.

It began in 1909 with the opening of St. Christopher’s Inn here at Graymoor, a facility dedicated to rehabilitation of men in crisis.

St. Christopher’s Inn is dedicated to simply providing the very best of care and serving men suffering from homelessness, poverty and the disease of addiction. The Inn provides temporary shelter, free of charge, while offering the most comprehensive services including addiction treatment, health care, psychiatric services and spiritual guidance.

READ MORE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF INNSIGHT >>

St. Joseph's Rehabilitation Center in Saranac Lake, NY has provided addiction treatment since 1970 for a clinically-challenging population that encompasses residents from throughout New York and surrounding states. St. Joseph's operates with a staff that includes 41 Qualified Health Professionals (Credentialed Alcohol Substance Abuse Counselors, Licensed Master Social Workers, Registered Nurses, psychologists, and a psychiatrist). 

Extending their long tradition of caring for those who need it most, St. Joseph’s has recently received official notification from the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) that they will receive a grant award to establish a long-term community residence for veterans suffering from substance abuse and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder -- a reoccurring, sometimes debilitating response to major trauma.

ST. JOSEPH'S COMMITMENT TO THOSE MOST IN NEED >>

For over 35 years The Graymoor Spiritual Life Center has provided retreat and conference programs for groups of all faiths.  Many of The Center’s programs focus on the process of recovery and  providing spiritual healing and renewal — including 12-step meetings, Matt Talbot and other Recovery Retreats, as well as the annual Recovery Sunday (September 14).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS OF THE GSLC >>

WEBSITE FEATURE — STREAMING VIDEO OF 9/11 EVENTS AT GRAYMOOR

On September 11 we will be hosting our annual Sponsor Appreciation Day here at Graymoor.  During Mass that day we plan to take time to honor the brave men and women who have given and continue to give so much to serve our great country.  

During this Mass the Friars will be blessing a very remarkable and meaningful Remembrance Altar Cloth consisting of more than 1,200 names of loved ones, each sent in by friends of Graymoor on a small piece of cloth and sewn together as a remembrance to be hung and displayed during Masses at Graymoor.

Since this commemoration will occur on September 11, we will also be thinking of those that died in the tragic events on this date in 2001. For those of you who will be unable to be with us on that day, we will be filming the Mass and other related events and making portions of them available via our website.

INTERFAITH RELIGION SPECIAL, "CHRISTIAN UNITY," TO BROADCAST ON CBS TV

This year the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, begun in 1908 by the Fr. Paul Wattson, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.  As part of the celebration, "Christian Unity," an interfaith religion special, will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 21 on the CBS Television Network. Check your local station for exact time

Over the centuries Christians have separated into many groups, not always on friendly terms.  Christian unity (Ecumenism) is an ongoing attempt to bring Roman Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox into further dialogue and cooperation.

LEARN ABOUT THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY >>

SEPTEMBER 11
Sponsor Day - Graymoor
 
SEPTEMBER 14
Recovery Sunday

SEPTEMBER 22
Graymoor Charity Golf Classic and
Tennis Tournament

OCTOBER 2-5
Come & See Weekend
Contact Vocations
845-424-2126

Franciscan Friars of the Atonement

Headquartered at Graymoor in Garrison, NY, the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement is a Roman Catholic religious community with social, pastoral and ecumenical ministries in the United States, Canada, England, Italy, and Japan.

St. Christopher's Inn
Residential Shelter & Substance Abuse Treatment Center

St. Christopher's Inn is a temporary shelter dedicated to the rehabilitation of men in crisis. Today the Inn shelters over 1,200 men per year, most of whom suffer from alcohol and/or drug addiction.

Our mission is to offer a continuum of quality health care services that facilitate physical, emotional, and spiritual healing by providing chemical dependency treatment, primary health care, and temporary housing.

St. Joseph's Rehabilitation Center

St. Joseph's Rehabilitation Center provides inpatient, outpatient and community residential alcoholism and substance abuse services for men and women.

While primarily located in New York's Adirondack region, St. Joseph's provides services to clients living throughout New York State.

Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

In the Franciscan tradition of hospitality, Graymoor Spiritual Life Center welcomes individuals and groups of all faiths for spiritual retreats, meetings, conferences and pilgrimages.

Located on a mountaintop overlooking the Hudson River Valley, facilities include overnight accommodations, large dining room, a library, three chapels, as well as meeting/seminar facilities.

Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute

The Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute promotes Christian unity and interreligious dialogue in North America through their quarterly newsletter Ecumenical Trends, Lecture Series, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity resources.

Centro Pro Unione
Christian Unity and
Ecumenical Research

The Centro Pro Unione, founded and directed by the Society of the Atonement, is an ecumenical research and action center. Its purpose is to give space for dialogue, to be a place for study, research and formation in ecumenism: theological, pastoral, social and spiritual.