Fr. Ryan Rooney on His Struggle with Compulsive Eating

"These days, when I light a candle at the base of the makeshift shrine in my sitting room, I feel at peace. I haven't always felt this way. A year and a half ago, I would have been sitting down in a room of similar size but crowded with food wrappers and neglected dirty laundry. I probably would have been wolfing down a carton of Chinese food and binge-watching endless episodes of a Netflix drama. I was 200 pounds heavier, stressed, depressed, unsure about my future in the priesthood. My body was slowly shutting down, and I was inching closer toward being unable to dress myself. Today my life is a much different story."

America Magazine recently republished a commentary in which Father Ryan Rooney, parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, Springfield, MA,  reflected on his struggle with the addiction of compulsive eating.

To access Fr. Rooney's complete essay, please visit:

America Magazine: Transformed from Within: One priest's struggle with compulsive eating