On Saturday, July 11, Shalom World TV, a global Catholic network, will release “Unshackled,” a first-of-its-kind 12-episode TV series aimed at promoting hope and healing for people suffering from various addictions — and those who love and treat them — by showcasing stories of addiction and recovery through video-on-demand.
More than a year in production, “Unshackled” gives people with an addiction, addiction specialists, and spiritual leaders a platform to tell their stories. The series also highlights how the Catholic Church has stepped up to respond to the addiction crisis — and how the faithful can get involved. The show was taped last summer at the Shrine of St. Joseph in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese.
The 12 episodes will be released on the streaming platform at https://shalomworld.org for viewers to watch as they wish. In September, the 30-minute episodes will begin airing individually on the TV network.
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Keaton Douglas, founder and executive director of the iTHIRST initiative, an acronym for “The Healing Initiative: Recovery, Spirituality and Twelve Steps,” hosted and helped develop the program. She founded iTHIRST in the Paterson Diocese of New Jersey.
iTHIRST equips the body of Christ — clergy, religious, and laity — to understand and minister to people who are addicted. It is a ministry of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity at the Shrine. People can be addicted to many things, including drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, sex, or electronic devices.
“‘Unshackled’ gives a global reach to stories that offer people who are addicted hope for healing in three critical ways: in mind, body — and also spiritual, which is the particular goal of iTHIRST,” said Douglas of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Sandyston, N.J. “The series shows that the Church has a role to play in the healing of people who are addicted — having unnatural compulsions that keep us from God, others, and ourselves. There are so many resources. We want people to be aware of them,” she said.
iTHIRST partners with Seton Hall University to offer this Spiritual Companionship training year-round through the school’s Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. More than 1,400 certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions now minister in 13 nations, including seven African countries, where the program is bringing faith and recovery to traditionally under-resourced communities.
One guest on “Unshackled” is James Manieri of New Jersey, who climbed out of a 15-year drug addiction with treatment. Today, he is a nationally certified peer recovery specialist.
“I was rescued by prayer and determination. I’m grateful to be alive. Today, I have the opportunity to help rescue people who need to be rescued because I’ve been rescued,” Manieri said.
BeaconNJ.org will publish the dates and times when individual episodes of “Unshackled” will air in the fall of 2026 on the ShalomWorld TV network, as they become available.
