Father Joseph Upton aptly summarized the plight of substance abuse disorders when discussing tonight’s second annual candlelight vigil — which begins at 6 p.m. at the East Bay Recovery Center (31 Railroad Ave.) before taking participants on a walk to St. Mary of the Bay.

“There is not a family that I know of that isn’t affected by addiction in one way or another, and yet it seems to be such a taboo topic,” he said. “The more we can bring this into our common conversation and allow people to recognize that there is help and there are people willing to walk with you on your journey, no matter where you are, the better.”

Such is the central goal of the candlelight vigil — organized by the Warren Prevention Coalition in partnership with numerous state and local organizations, including the Town of Warren, the Warren Police Department, the East Bay Recovery Center, the Warren Health Equity Zone, and the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals.

“As far as where we stand with this opioid crisis, I’m not going to tell you it got better. We’re still dealing with it, and especially coming out of the pandemic it hasn’t been easy,” said Maria Ursini, program coordinator for the Warren Prevention Coalition. “We’re all dealing with different issues, and that’s why this is a day where no one is judged. We’re all here to support one another and say it’s okay. We need to let our community know that it’s perfectly fine. The person standing next to you is struggling with something, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”

Building upon the momentum from last year’s inaugural event, which was well attended, this year features a striking visual representation of the toll addiction has had on the local community. You have likely noticed the array of purple and yellow flags decorating the lawn of St. Mary’s — the purple represents the Rhode Islanders that have died to a substance abuse disorder, and the yellow represents the family members and friends who have been left to pick up the pieces and grief as a result of that loss.

“We wanted to lend our space to the wider community to say this is an issue we need to be united on,” Father Upton explained. “Regardless of our religious background or affiliation, this is a small but visual representation of the toll this has taken on our community. It cannot be ignored.”

Support, services, and solidarity
The vigil provides a space for those affected by addiction to come together in one space and share their experiences, victories, defeats, and ongoing struggles. It provides not only a place to mourn and remember, but encourage and empower those going through their own challenges to keep going.

“One of the things I’ve learned is that we’re all playing wounded,” Upton said. “We all have struggles and difficulties and challenges. The more we can be honest about it, the more we can help each other move forward and kind of play the game better.”

Various tables will be set up with educational resources, including the availability of free training on how to administer naloxone — also known as Narcan, a lifesaving drug that can immediately halt and prevent an opioid overdose.

“There are so many groups and agencies offering support, and we want people to know about them,” Upton said. “And all of these groups are willing to collaborate with each other, we just want to get the right resources to those who need them the most.”

Upton has taken the advocacy a step farther by setting up a support group at St. Mary’s called Hope and Cope. While it is a faith-based support group, it is non-denominational, and open to anybody regardless of where they are along their path to recovery.

“It’s our attempt to put people in proximity with one another and our attempt to bring people into connection with each other so we can help each other along,” Upton said. The group meets once a month on Sundays following the 6 p.m. Mass, and dates are published on the St. Mary’s Facebook page.