Program at St. Charles to Explore Opioid Epidemic
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey will present “The Opioid Epidemic: Heroin and Prescription Drug Addiction,” in the Gaspar Room at St. Charles Center, 2860 US 127, Celina, Ohio, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30.
This event, which is sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and the St. Marys Deanery, is free and open to the public (ages 12 and up). At the event, people can also drop off outdated prescription medications.
“We are excited to partner with the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in educating our community about the drug abuse issues throughout our county and our country,” Grey said. “The presentation is targeted for parents and young people age 12 and up. It will detail our office’s three-pronged approach: enforcement, education and treatment. I firmly believe our churches and God play a vital role in an addict’s recovery. Learn what to look out for, and what the sheriff’s Office is doing to try to combat the problem.”
Helping find solutions for the opioid epidemic is part of the Missionaries’ peace and justice efforts, said Colleen Kammer, the Missionaries’ director of peace, justice and ecology.
“The Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) have a long-standing relationship with the people in Mercer County and surrounding areas, through their ministries in parishes, schools and other sites,” she said. “The Congregation continues its commitment to serving the spiritual needs of people and to contributing to the growth of a healthy community in partnership with and alongside of others.”
St. Charles Center, the original motherhouse of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, is open to people of all faiths. “This event will give people in the community an opportunity to come together and talk about this crisis that weighs se heavily on our community and is so devastating to our families,” she said. “Working together, we can build a more loving, just and peaceful community.”
The Missionaries of the Precious Blood is a religious society of priests, religious brothers and lay associates founded in 1815 by St. Gaspar del Bufalo. Society members work as missionaries in parishes in the U.S. and abroad, in education and in a wide range of apostolates, promoting the cause of God’s reconciliation worldwide.