Fr. Jim McKenna Memorial Fund

07/26/2026

Today, 75 old and new friends gathered to celebrate the Morning After Group’s 45th Anniversary with good food, warm fellowship, two newcomers, and a wonderful discussion on “Hope Is Found Here.”

We are especially grateful to Fr. Diego for allowing us to visit the affectionately named “Holy Room,” where so many of us first found sobriety and a new way of life.

Forty-five years later, the doors are still open, the coffee is still flowing, and hope is still being passed from one person to another—one day at a time. Thank you to everyone who made today so special.

07/17/2026

🙏 July Recovery Gatherings — All Are Welcome!

Please join us for the Third Saturday Recovery Mass on Saturday, July 18, at 12:00 noon at St. Mary R.C. Church in Closter.

The Mass will be followed by the AA Open Speakers Meeting of Hope in the Parish Hall at 1:15 p.m. Come hear members share their experience, strength and hope.

Then, on Saturday, July 25, help us celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Westwood Saturday Morning After Group at the Church of St. Andrew, 120 Washington Avenue, Westwood.

☕ Breakfast fellowship: 9:30 a.m.
🕥 AA Open Beginner’s Meeting: 10:30 a.m.

Come as you are and share in the gratitude, fellowship and miracle of recovery—one day at a time.

All are welcome! Please share this post and the attached flyer.

07/10/2026

Unshackled: Healing Addictions Through Faith

Hosted by Keaton Douglas, we enter the often-hidden world of addiction with honesty and compassion. Created in partnership with the iThirst Initiative, the series brings together real testimonies, clinical insight, and the wisdom of the Church to help individuals, families, and communities navigate....

06/01/2026

05/23/2026

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Fr. Jim McKenna, my sponsor, my friend, and one of the people God placed in my life to help save it.

Fr. Jim was instrumental in getting me sober. He did not preach from a distance. He stood with people in the pain, in the fear, in the shame, and in the beginning again. He knew the road because he had walked it "The Record" remembered how Fr. Jim began a Mass with the simple, powerful words: “My name is Jim, and I’m an alcoholic.” That honesty was his ministry. That humility opened doors. The article described how he served as a chaplain, helped so many people struggling with alcoholism, and made the Recovery Mass a place where people could bring their whole selves — broken, hopeful, searching, sober, newly sober, or just trying to make it through one more day.

He helped so many. And I am one of them.

Although Fr. Jim has been gone for 20 years, I still feel his presence with me. I feel it in the way I try to live my life one day at a time. I hear his encouraging words when I need to pause, breathe, and simply do the next right thing. His legacy is not only in the memories we carry, but in the lives that continued because he cared enough to show up.

The Third Saturday Recovery Mass continues to be one of those peaceful places where I can reconnect with my Higher Power, quiet the noise, and remember that recovery is grace in motion.

Thank you, Fr. Jim, for helping me find the path.
Thank you for reminding us that hope is real.
And thank you for still walking with us, one day at a time. 🙏

04/23/2026

Today would have marked Fr. Jim's 91st birthday. Share a memory with us.🙏

04/15/2026

I came across something this week that stopped me in my tracks, in the best way.

An article from The Bergen Record (August 2, 2005) titled “A priest who’s been there eases the pain for alcoholics.”
It tells a story many of us already know… but it still hits home.
Fr. Jim stood at the altar and said: “My name is Jim, and I’m an alcoholic.”

Not from a place of defeat—but from a place of truth, humility, and hope.

He didn’t stand above people—he stood with them.
He knew the struggle, and he reminded others they weren’t alone.

And here we are, years later…
Same spirit.
Same need.
Same quiet miracles happening every day.

His legacy isn’t something we just remember—it’s something we live.

Every time someone walks through the door unsure…
Every time a hand reaches out…
Every time we share honestly and listen with care…
That’s Fr. Jim’s legacy—alive and well.

🙏 We invite you to join us at the Third Saturday Recovery Mass each month; a chance to pause, reconnect spiritually (in whatever way that means to you), and find a little peace in the middle of it all.

Following the Mass, all are welcome to stay for fellowship and a Meeting of Hope.