According to organizer Kevin Cross, chaplain at North Shore Medical Center and Episcopal Divinity School student, "Addiction is in part a spiritual disease. A healthy spiritual life is critical to avoidance and recovery.

The goal of the conference, he said, "is to provide spiritual caregivers, families and youth with an understanding of addiction, the spiritual dimensions of the illness and recovery, and what can be done to help adolescents and their families affected by addiction recover and heal."

The first workshop in this mini-conference for ministers and lay youth leaders will be held Thursday, March 13, noon to 2 p.m. at the Church of St. Andrew. Topics include addiction and adolescents, the role of the spiritual caregiver, and making church user-friendly for adolescents and families in recovery.

The second workshop is an educational forum for parents, family and interested community members on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at St. Andrew's. Topics include recovery and the role of spirituality, Alcoholics Anonymous and identifying and using local treatment resources and options.

A workshop for youth will be held Saturday, March 15 St. Stephen's Episcopal Church from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Topics include addiction, developing spirituality, the role of spirituality in healthy life choices, and training in basic spiritual practices.

To register for any of the three workshops, contact Kevin Cross at kcross@eds.edu or 781-704-6581.

The series is sponsored by the Evangelical Education Society of the Episcopal Church, the Hazelden Foundation and the Episcopal Divinity School. Workshop leaders are national and regional experts.

-- The Rev. Lisa B. Hamilton, Episcopal Life Media correspondent in the dioceses of Provinces I and IV. She is based in Venice, Florida and Sandisfield, Massachusetts.