James Manieri, 53, was raised as a good, faithful Catholic young man in northern New Jersey and had even served as an altar server. But taking a dentist’s prescription of Vicodin at 28 years old sent him on a 15-year downward spiral of addiction, including to cocaine and heroin, and hunger and homelessness.
All that time, Manieri scraped out a life on city streets, including in Paterson, N.J., and spent time in rehab facilities, homeless shelters, and psych wards. He had been robbed, sexually assaulted, and beaten; had made two suicide attempts; and had almost died twice because of overdoses.
“During my addiction, I didn’t care anymore.,” said Manieri, who grappled with his identity. After a long struggle, Manieri finally climbed from the abyss of addiction with treatment and is now 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.”
Eleven years sober, Manieri and other recovering people with an addiction and addiction specialists shared their hopeful experiences during a recent taping of “Unshackled” on ShalomWorld TV. It’s a 12-episode TV series about the Catholic Church’s response to addiction. The taping took place at the Shrine of St. Joseph in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J.
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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 the program, which will air in the spring of 2026 on ShalomWorld TV.
“What an amazing group of guests and an amazing crew. Special thanks to ShalomWorld TV, which reaches 140 countries, for its support of this project. It’s important that our faith communities understand the many facets of spiritual healing that are needed for those who suffer from all addictions,” said Douglas of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Sandyston, N.J.
Guests for the TV shows, who hail from places such as Florida, Tennessee, and Mexico, discussed many facets of addiction. Topics ranged from “Why Can’t I Just Stop” with a noted neurologist from Robert Wood Johnson in New Jersey to “Wagering the Soul” about compulsive gambling disorder. Each episode lasts 30 minutes.
Douglas 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’s a ministry of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity at the shrine, where Manieri first met Douglas.
Today, 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. Today, more than 1,000 certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions minister in 13 nations, including seven African countries, where the program is bringing faith and recovery to traditionally under-resourced communities.
Of the TV show, Douglas said, “It 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.”
BeaconNJ.com will publish the dates and times “Unshackled” will air in the spring of 2026 on ShalomWorld TV when they become available.
