‘Catholic Charities Boston is part of our village:’ Nurse and Mother Kathy Currier Reflects on Impact of Recovering Connections Program

Kathy Currier believes that Catholic Charities Boston was placed in her life for a reason. It was through the agency’s former adoption services that she gained a little brother at twelve years old and years later, adopted two beautiful children with her husband, making her a mother and filling her life with meaning.

And so, when life brought Kathy the most difficult challenge any mother can imagine––losing a child––it was to Catholic Charities Boston she turned to find hope and begin to heal.

“I’ve learned how important faith is and having a village to lean on,” said Kathy, who has attended two of Catholic Charities Boston’s Growth Through Grief retreats for mothers who have lost children to substance use disorder. “Catholic Charities Boston is a part of our village.”

The retreats are offered through the agency’s Recovering Connections Program, which provides counseling, support groups, and case management for those with loved ones affected by addiction.

Kathy learned about the retreats through a friend who had also lost a child to substance use. At her first retreat, she quickly knew she had found a special community of women who were bonded by maternal love and a deep sense of faith.

“It was so nice to be with other people who had a strong foundation of faith and were spiritual,” she said. “There is hope and laughter and that has made all the difference. You lay down your worries at the door because there is such trust.”

Kathy’s son Ryan was just 44 years old when he lost his life to substance use disorder. Handsome, thoughtful, deeply empathetic, and faithful are just a few of the words Kathy uses to describe Ryan, who was naturally artistic and a star on his high school swimming team. Underneath his bright personality and love for life, however, Ryan was struggling with alcohol and drug addiction from a young age.

“Ryan battled addiction for roughly 20 years,” said Kathy. “It began with pot, pills, and ADHD medication but eventually progressed into heroin.”

As a public health nurse with a specialty in psychiatric care, Kathy said she always tried to view her son’s substance use disorder from a healthcare perspective.

“I try to look through the lens of: ‘How can we help this disease? What are the facts?’”

Still, Kathy said Ryan’s battle with substance use disorder – and the pressure to protect him – weighed heavily on their entire family, including his daughter, who Kathy and her husband raised.

“In the beginning, you start off by trying to hide and conceal your loved one’s disease from others and that pressure is like suffering from the disease yourself.”

Kathy said she is encouraged to see that the stigma surrounding substance use disorder has decreased significantly over the years. Moreover, she is grateful for the group of women she found through Catholic Charities, who have reminded her that she is never alone.

From forging new friendships to spreading awareness on addiction to learning about critical community resources, Kathy said her involvement in the Recovering Connections program has deepened both her faith and her determination to help those struggling with the disease.

“I do not hold back anymore,” she said. “This is something that needs to be talked about.”

Above all, Kathy will not let her son’s struggles with addiction silence the memory of the beautiful life he lived and the person he was. “When we first adopted Ryan, he was so radiant and beautiful and so trusting,” she said. “I remember when I first held him, I said to him, ‘You belong to God.’ And I prayed that he would always be in God’s hands.”

It is by trusting that this prayer has been answered––that Ryan remains in God’s hands–– that Kathy finds hope. Stronger than her heartache is her unshakeable faith.

For more information regarding the Catholic Charities Recovery Connections programs or counseling services, please visit ccab.org/counseling.