Fighting addiction through spirituality

Stand Up Laconia begins weekly prayer days to help fight drug misuse

By ALANA PERSSON, LACONIA DAILY SUN

Stand Up Laconia recognizes that the path to recovery from drug addiction is different for everyone, and for some rehabilitation comes through spirituality. Acting upon this possible avenue for recovery, a group of people from the coalition have come together to create a weekly Laconia Day of Prayer, which begins today.

During the Laconia Day of Prayer, all members of the community from any religious background are invited to pray for those who are currently being impacted by the drug epidemic. Those praying are asked to share a positive prayer or intention that focuses on helping the addicted and their families find strength during the challenges they face.

“This day is not about religion and, in no way, is Stand Up Laconia religiously affiliated with any house of worship,” said Clare Persson, Chair of Stand Up Laconia. “The day is simply about good intentions and creative positive energy and healing within the community.”

Stand Up Laconia is comprised of community members from 12 different sectors of the community, which includes but is not limited to police enforcement, local educators, public health officials, and religious leaders, according to Persson. Due to a branch being from the religious community, the steering committee wanted to give these individuals an opportunity to bring the mission of Stand Up Laconia to their own lives and houses of worship in a meaningful way.

Shaun Dutile, spiritual leader of Dutile Christian Counseling, is a member of the Stand Up Laconia steering committee. For the past two years, Dutile has been integrating prayer for those struggling with substance misuse into his ministry, and has wanted to extend this mission to others in the community. From this idea, he began collaborating with other members of Stand Up Laconia who have different spiritual backgrounds, such as Pat Kiefer from the Catholic church and Paula Gile from the Congregational Church of Laconia.

Since the start of this initiative, Dutile has reached out to nine different houses of worship, including the Unitarian Church and the Jewish Temple, and said everyone he has talked to has been in support of the day.

“No specific deity is recognized. It is not a religious affiliated day,” Dutile reaffirmed. “The goal of the day is to simply take some time, whether it’s your commute time or a 15-minute break during your work day, to pray specifically for those impacted by addiction.”

The day does not require community members to come together at a specific place or time, however, Persson said that if people wish to come together they are welcome to do so. Further, Kiefer noted that at Saint Andre Bessette Parish in Laconia, Wednesdays are the church’s day of Eucharistic Adoration. For those within the Catholic community who wish to take part in the day, prayers have been printed and left at the doors of the church that specifically cater to those who face addition.

“The best part of this is seeing the churches set aside their differences and come together with the common goal of addressing the substance misuse issue in the city,” said Kiefer.

Those with questions about the weekly Laconia Day of Prayer or for information on how to get involved in Stand Up Laconia, can contact Clare Persson at perssonclare@gmail.com or 603-387-4270. For more information within the Catholic church email kiefer@metrocast.net, or to reach Dutile email dutilecc@gmail.com.