- 12 October, 2026
VELLORE, October 12, 2026: On a November night in 2011, a Salesian priest clutched a relic of St John Bosco and cried out to God. Alcohol had taken a devastating toll on his life, undermining his ministry, relationships and sense of purpose. Unable to break free from its grip, he could see little hope for the future. “Lord, deliver me from this evil,” he prayed.
That desperate prayer became part of a turning point in his life. Today, as director of Aruloudhayam Ashram Holistic Wellness Centre in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, Fr A. Siluvai Muthu draws on his experience of addiction and recovery to accompany priests and religious facing similar struggles.
Established in 2023, the centre offers a specialised residential programme for clergy and religious battling alcohol dependence. Its mission reflects a lesson Fr Siluvai Muthu learned through painful experience: recovery begins with acknowledging the problem and accepting help.
When Addiction Disrupted his Ministry
In his personal testimony, Fr Siluvai Muthu recalls how drinking gradually took control of his life. He spent days isolated in a room with bottles, concealed his drinking and repeatedly tried to explain his absences.
The consequences soon extended to his pastoral responsibilities. On one occasion, parishioners waiting for the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Christmas were left waiting until evening because he arrived at the church at 8 pm, intoxicated. On another, he fell from his motorcycle while travelling to celebrate the Easter Vigil, leaving the community without the scheduled Mass.
In a separate incident, a student recognised him lying at a bus stand and alerted the management. Experiences such as these intensified his shame and made it increasingly difficult to deny the extent of his addiction.
His struggle eventually brought him to the brink of suicide. After several days of heavy drinking, he went to a railway track intending to end his life, but others intervened and saved him. Periods of abstinence offered temporary relief, yet the addiction returned.
Despite his vocation, he found himself unable to escape a cycle that was affecting every aspect of his life.
The Courage to Seek Help
On November 13, 2011, Fr Siluvai Muthu turned to prayer, holding the relic of Don Bosco and pleading for deliverance. Thirteen days later, another incident forced him to confront his situation openly.
After attending Mass and drinking alcohol, he was stopped by the police while carrying a bottle. When he could not start his motorcycle, members of his community came to help him.
The following morning, he contacted his superiors. “I need help. I could not manage my life,” he told them.
The admission marked a decisive step towards recovery. He identifies December 8, 2011, as his last day of drinking. Four days later, he entered Friendship House, a recovery centre that he credits with helping him rebuild his life.
Recovery required more than a decision to stop drinking. It meant acknowledging his vulnerability, accepting support and committing himself to sustained change.
Turning Personal Struggle into a Mission
As he rebuilt his life, Fr Siluvai Muthu began reaching out to others affected by alcohol addiction, including people with whom he had once shared his drinking.
“Once I drank with them, now I live with them,” he writes in his testimony.
The words capture the change in his outlook—from isolation to fellowship, and from struggling alone to accompanying others on the road to recovery. His experience also shaped his understanding of the importance of compassion and support for people who may feel ashamed or afraid to seek help.
That commitment eventually found expression in Aruloudhayam Ashram Holistic Wellness Centre. Established in 2023, it seeks to provide priests and religious with a setting where they can receive specialised care without compromising their dignity or privacy.
Care for the Whole Person
The centre’s 90-day residential programme combines medical attention, psychological support, spiritual accompaniment and social rehabilitation.
According to its brochure, the programme follows the 12-step approach of Alcoholics Anonymous and includes detoxification, medical check-ups, individual counselling, psychological sessions and fellowship with others in recovery.
Prayer, meditation, the Holy Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary and Confession form part of its spiritual programme. Residents also prepare an aftercare plan to support their continued recovery after leaving the centre.
Individual accommodation, spaces for prayer and reflection, recreational facilities and a green campus provide a setting for residential care. The centre states that residents’ anonymity is maintained.
According to Fr Siluvai Muthu, 70 priests and religious from India and neighbouring countries have participated in the programme since the centre opened. Seven residents are currently receiving support.
Its work also extends beyond residential treatment. Through addiction-awareness programmes in educational institutions, the centre seeks to help young people understand the harmful effects of addiction and make informed choices.
Breaking the Silence
For priests and religious, seeking help for addiction can be especially difficult. Fear of exposure, embarrassment and concerns about their ministry may discourage them from acknowledging the problem.
Fr Siluvai Muthu’s experience underscores the importance of creating an environment in which those affected can seek assistance without being defined by their struggles.
Aruloudhayam Ashram hopes to reach bishops, religious superiors and communities responsible for clergy and religious, encouraging them to recognise addiction as a serious concern and facilitate access to appropriate care.
Such support requires more than helping individuals stop drinking. Medical treatment, psychological care, spiritual accompaniment and continued community support can all play a role in sustaining recovery.
A New Chapter
Fr Siluvai Muthu’s journey offers a message of hope without diminishing the seriousness of addiction. His experience shows how a life marked by despair can take a different course when a person acknowledges the struggle and receives support.
The priest who once pleaded for deliverance now dedicates his ministry to helping others find a way forward. Through Aruloudhayam Ashram, he hopes to reach those who may be suffering in silence and reassure them that seeking help is not a sign of failure.
For someone who feels trapped by addiction, the first step may be as simple—and as difficult—as the words he once spoke to his superiors: “I need help.”
Contact:
Aruloudhayam Ashram Holistic Wellness Centre
A. Kattupadi, Vellore, Tamil Nadu – 632011
- Director: Fr. Dr A. Siluvai Muthu
- Phone: 94876 34447
- Counsellor: 94867 34447
- Email: ashramaruloudhayam@gmail.com
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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