THE GROOVE IS IN THE HEART –

July 30, 2024 – I came to know Blessed Solanus Casey 63 years after his death in July 1957 and three years after his beatification ceremony, held in November 2017. Providentially, my lack of familiarity with the humble and virtuous Franciscan Capuchin friar, whose feast we celebrate July 30, did not prevent him from hearing my silent yet desperate pleas … It was the autumn of 2020, and after 40 years of self-imposed exile, I was newly reconciled with the Catholic Church and determined to make amends for the faith I had squandered. Despite my sincerest desires and best intentions, however, there remained a major stumbling block to my total surrender to God and his Church: an obstacle that had become an idol to me and was slowly, and most certainly, killing me — an idol by the name of red wine.

I had begun drinking heavily as a freshman in college, and by the time I graduated, my addiction was on full display. In the decades that followed, which entailed far too many humiliating episodes, including a car accident that nearly killed me, I never truly wanted to stop drinking. 

I simply wanted the power to regulate myself, to enjoy one or two glasses, and then put the bottle away for the night. Unfortunately, I was incapable of moderating through sheer willpower. By 60 years old, I was a full-time passenger on a nauseating teeter-totter that had me either drinking to intoxication or swearing off alcohol altogether. 

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