ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on January 25, 2004

Dear Henry: I know that the Catholic Support Group for Sexual Addiction Recovery (CSGSAR) has been down for about a year. I apologize for that. I will try to get back online the informational part of CSGSAR this week. The discussion group, however, cannot be activated until later. I would advise devotion to St. Dymphna and St. Augustine. St. Dymphna is the patron of emotional and spiritual warfare issues. St. Augustine had a rather wild sexual life before coming back to God so he too would be a good Saint for devotion as well. In addition there are a whole bunch of saints who are patrons of sexual temptations. Here is the list: Click here Addiction nearly always involves spiritual warfare issues as well. Thus those with addictions and deep habits need to approach this from that point-of-view as well. We have a Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog online that you can access. The Catalog is not finished yet, but you may find several prayers that will be useful. Take special notice of the Hedge prayers for protection. The Catalog includes a prayer concerning freedom from sexual addictions, but I have not uploaded that one yet. I will also try to get that online this week as well. Continue to work to avoid the near occasion of sin, go to confession frequently, be diligent in devotion. When temptation comes your way, find something to distract you. Temptation usually comes in small windows of opportunity. If one can distract themselves for those few minutes it is possible to get past that window without falling into the temptation. The distraction can be anything -- watching the News, washing the dishes, reading your mail, anything that will distract you from the temptation for a few minutes. By the time the News is over, or the dishes are washed, the temptation is likely to have faded away. We will be in prayer for you. You are not alone. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary