Catholic in Recovery - Interview with Scott Weeman
In this episode, Andrew visits with Scott Weeman, Founder of Catholic in Recovery. They discuss the connection between the Church and recovery. And they talk about what fundraising looks like in an arena that, historically, hasn't been viewed with high importance. And how fundraising and recovery is so much about building relationships. “So much of what we are seeking in life, it comes down to wanting authentic relationships.” This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.
Show Notes:
Scott grew up Catholic but only for big holidays in rural Wisconsin. He was what you would call a nominal Catholic. In his junior year of high school, he began drinking. He moved to New York for college and added to his addictions with drugs and more. Within a year and a half he lost his debate scholarship and lost his friendships.
He received his second DUI when he was 21 after having to move back home. After this he checked himself into recovery for 15 days and remained sober for 8 months.
He and his girlfriend moved to San Diego hoping it would solve his addictive behavior. That relationship ended and caused Scott to try recovery again. During his recovery, he started going back to church. During that time, he met his future wife. And he began to see connection between connection in the church and recovery. And what he saw the most, was the lack of connection and started looking at how he could change that. He started a website, Catholic in Recovery.
In January 2017, the first in-person meeting for Catholic in Recovery took place in California. This took the idea of AA and brought the church into it for a chance for the Body of Christ to heal the Body of Christ.
So much of what we are seeking in life, it comes down to wanting authentic relationships.
Fundraising is being authentic in relationships and building trust. At the end of the day, we are all in service to God.
In 2012, Scott celebrated one year of sobriety.
There are cultural barriers that prevent change and the healing from addictions. The idea, that this is something the church should become involved in, is challenging. Scott is finding this to be an important point to make in his fundraising endeavors. While it’s frustrating, it’s part of developing the conversation. Even when the conversation ends with no, the conversation is still advancing. It’s still moving forward.
If you see a need, but other people don’t. That’s something that needs to be dug into for a long time.
It’s been a great learning opportunity to see how the church works and to be a part of the solution.
Sometimes, we, the laity of the church, are called to take the first step. We are the church. The church is us.
As Catholic in Recovery grows, advancing these conversations is how we will grow.
You can find Scott through his website, www.catholicinrecovery.com, by email [email protected] or through social media.
Andrew’s Take-Aways:
- It’s all about relationships.
- Sometimes in order to see action, God requires us, the laity to step up and create a solution.
- Nobody is a lost cause. We don’t know how God is working in their lives and it’s through our outreach that God can work.
Action Item:
Think about a donor or volunteer in your ministry who you know may be struggling. Say a prayer for them but also consider reaching out with a phone call, text or email to let them know that you are thinking about them. You never know how your call can impact their lives.
This is the last episode in Season 2 of the Petrus Development Show. We will be back in September with new episodes and new guests.
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