Saint Augustine Men’s Group
If you struggle with a sexual addiction, you are not alone. You are invited to join other men in a community of support, encouragement, and healing in this fight for freedom.
With chapters in Fort Wayne and South Bend, we welcome all men age 18 or older – regardless of faith, background, or sexual orientation – who are seeking real freedom. We don’t judge or criticize, no matter where you are on your path. We encourage the practice of accountability, honesty, and utilizing practical tools through a structure rooted in prayer, camaraderie, and authentic conversation.
Chapters and Locations
Our support groups meet twice monthly for one-hour meetings that are focused on accountability and practical tools and that are rooted in faith and authenticity.
You may email us in advance to join our contact list, or you may simply show up. No commitment is necessary, and all participation during meetings is voluntary and strictly confidential.
St. Peter, Fort Wayne
St. Vincent de Paul, Fort Wayne
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Fort Wayne
St. Anthony de Padua, South Bend
Unable to make an in-person meeting?
If you are unable to make one of the listed meeting locations and times, you are still invited to contact us: [email protected]
We believe you deserve true freedom, and we will do our best to connect you to resources, practical tools, and support.
ADDRESS:
St. Anthony de Padua
2320 E. Jefferson Blvd
South Bend, IN 46615
WHEN WE MEET:
First and third Saturdays of each month
8-9 a.m.
PARKING AND MEETING ROOM:
Saint Augustine Men’s Group meets in a parish meeting room. Due to the location and the church layout, it is difficult to provide a visual map or directions in writing. New members are encouraged to email [email protected] in advance of attending. A member of the group will then meet you outside the entrance to the church and show you where meetings take place.
ADDRESS:
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
10700 Aboite Center Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
WHEN WE MEET:
First and third Saturdays of each month
9:30-10:30 a.m.
PARKING AND MEETING ROOM:
Park in the parking lot located off Aboite Rd. Enter through the parish entrance, labeled Door #2. The Fr. Solanus room is located to the left after you pass through the double doors. Click here to view map.
If the meeting room changes, participants are notified via email (contact us to get on our email list) and a sign is usually placed on the door.
ADDRESS:
Parish Life Center
St. Vincent de Paul Parish
1502 E Wallen Rd
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
WHEN WE MEET:
Second and fourth Saturdays of each month
9:30-10:30 a.m.
PARKING AND MEETING ROOM:
We usually meet in the Parish Life Center, which is an independent building located to the south of the parish. Park in “Parking Lot B, located to the south of the main church” and enter through the main doors. Click here to view a map with directions. Click here to view a full campus map provided by the parish.
If the meeting room changes, participants are notified via email (contact us to get on our email list) and a sign is usually placed on the door.
ADDRESS:
St. Peter Parish
518 E Dewald St
Fort Wayne, IN 46803
WHEN WE MEET:
First and third Thursdays of each month
7-8 p.m.
PARKING AND MEETING ROOM:
Our normal meeting location is the Parish Hall, located to the south of the parish on the corner of Dewald and Warsaw Streets. You may park in the main parish parking lot, whose entrance is located off Warsaw Street. Click here to view a map.
If the meeting room changes, participants are notified via email (contact us to get on our email list) and a sign is usually placed on the door.
I look forward to spending Saturday mornings with my brothers who are on the same journey to freedom. This path from shame to grace isn’t an easy one, but it’s fulfilling. It’s liberating and inspiring to be able to honestly share my struggles with people who don’t look down on me, but lift me up through prayer, wisdom, and even laughter. Slowly but surely, I’m becoming a better man. The truth is this: Saint Augustine Men’s Group has changed my life.”
Frequently Asked Questions
A typical meeting lasts one hour and begins with self-introductions (no last names necessary) and prayer.
We then move into a period of accountability, first reminding all present of guidelines for sharing.
This is followed by practical teaching and discussion. All practical teaching is grounded in proven tools and resources as well as in our faith. Discussion is the heart of the gathering during which participants are invited to share where they are in their journey to purity, their feelings, and their struggles. No one is required to share. All sharing is confidential and is received without judgment.
We close in prayer, praying especially for the intentions of those present as we continue the fight for freedom.
When possible, meetings are followed by the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
For many men, the biggest barrier to finding accountability and community in fighting sexual addiction is opening up to one’s wife or girlfriend. One member shared with us that:
I thought to myself that I should attend, but how could I? I would have to tell my wife about my addiction, and I knew I couldn’t do that (or so I thought). Instead, I kept my secret in the dark … right where the devil wanted it to be, hidden and isolated. In the time leading up to my wife finding out, our relationship was becoming more and more distant. The more we struggled to connect emotionally, the more I was tempted to sin. Naturally, this led to a downward spiral that nearly destroyed our marriage. This all came to a head the day she caught me in sin. I can’t remember a worse moment in my life. Little did I know that this moment would be the greatest turning point I had ever experienced. I decided right then that I was done giving in to this temptation and that I wanted out of the darkness… Although she considered throwing me out of the house, my faithful wife made the decision that she would stand by me and help my recovery. She did this even though she was hurt very badly by my sinful actions. Soon after, I was crying in the confessional, making the most contrite confession of my entire life, after which I felt the grace of the Holy Spirit working in me like never before. My wife and I began a new practice of praying together every day, which we had never managed to do in the past. I began praying the rosary nearly every day, asking Our Lady to heal my life and draw me closer to her Son“
If you are struggling with how to open up to your partner about your addiction, you are not alone. The true freedom you will discover when you are honest is far greater than the safety you feel in secrecy. We are a group of men who share in this fight, and we are here to support you as you take this first step toward finding freedom. If you need practical guidance for how to begin this turning point conversation with your partner, contact us: [email protected]
Everyone is invited to find freedom from whatever their sexual struggle may be. While our meetings are approached from a Catholic perspective, all men age 18+ are invited to join, regardless of faith, sexual orientation, or background. While our faith and the reality that this battle is a spiritual one is at the forefront of our structure, we also rely heavily on research-based, proven tools and practices for overcoming addiction. These tools and techniques, as well as the community of accountability, is beneficial even for those who do not participate in the Catholic faith. There is no judgment given to anyone, regardless of faith background.
We are here to listen, offer encouragement, learn and implement practical steps together, share in solidarity, and move forward in this fight together. You are most welcome to join us.
First, know you are not alone. Your trust has been broken. His struggles are not your fault. While you may be here looking to find resources that he needs, know that you need boundaries, support, and healing as well. While he is biologically rewired because of his struggle, you are also impacted in a very real, physical way – and your wounds matter deeply.
Fortunately, recovery is possible – both for your partner and for you as you navigate this trauma and betrayal.
We invite you to contact us to discern next steps, including how to broach the topic with your partner and encourage him to find accountability, practical support, and freedom: [email protected].
You may also want to check out the resources on this web page or the free e-book Porn and your Husband: A Recovery Guide for Wives, both published by Covenant Eyes. These resources are not a substitute for talking with a healthcare professional as you navigate your potential trauma that can have very real, physical effects. (In fact, many partners dealing with this betrayal fit the criteria of post-traumatic stress disorder.) These resources offer an overview of what his brain is going through, how he is being biologically rewired, the stages of recovering from betrayal, and more.
Why Saint Augustine?
Sexual adventures. Drinking. Fathering a son outside marriage. These are among the many activities that marked the first half of the life of Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430). As a highly intelligent young man living a secular (pagan) lifestyle north Africa, his father sent him to study rhetoric, marking a time in his life that he described as “a cauldron of illicit loves.” He had a coarse community of friends, who he called “the wreckers,” and they spent free time enjoying the carnal pleasures the world had to offer.
Over time, Augustine’s carnal appetite began to be less and less satisfied, and he felt within him a desire to seek Truth. In his book Confessions, he accounts crying out in despair to God, “How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?” He then heard an unseen child say, “Pick up and read.” Augustine opened a nearby book to Romans 13, where he read: “Not in riots and drunken parties, not in eroticism and indecencies, not in strife and rivalry, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in its lusts.” His mother, Saint Monica, is known for perpetual, steadfast prayer for the soul of her son.
Augustine underwent an intense conversion, marked with a deep longing for Truth and rooted in acknowledgement of his fallen, human nature and need for a Savior. He was ordained a priest, and he later became Bishop of Hippo. His many writings includes his personal story, Confessions, in which he writes words that many of us can echo today: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.“
