Priest finds life in death

By Laurie Gordon
“Let your hopes, not your hurts, help your future.”
-Father Robert H. Schuller
NEWTON — It was a different Father Robert who coined this quote, but a local Father Robert who is taking its message and running with it. Father Robert Griner is the rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Newton, and he will be taking a group 20-year-olds-most of whom are in recovery from addictive illness-to the far reaches of Panama to build a church. The trip underscores Father Robert's passions: thinking outside the box, helping others help themselves and promoting recovery. It's also incredibly timely to raise awareness of the horrific opioid crisis that's become so prevalent across the nation.
The idea for this project spawned out of sadness when Steven Cagno died of a heroin overdose on Aug. 12, 2016. The silver lining of his passing was that his sister, Molly Cagno, became determined to do something positive and pro-recovery in his memory.
Said Father Robert, “In the midst of death there is life.”
And fate stepped in.
Father Robert happened to meet Molly Cagno at a support group. She told him of her brother and her wishes to honor his memory.
“Father Robert called me kind of out of the blue,” Molly Cagno said. “My father had passed away and it was a tough time for me. He said, 'Maybe this is a crazy idea but I know you wanted to do something in your brother's memory. How about getting a group together and going to Panama to build a church?'”
"Honor Steve Cagno was born."
“Before my brother had died we had made a pact with each other that we'd do what the other one would have wanted to better their life if one of us died,” Cagno said. “He loved helping people and helped me in so many ways to overcome things. He cared so much about other people and had such unconditional love.”
The journey to Panama will be a profound opportunity for personal growth for this group, helping the many among them who are recovering soar above the trauma of their past as they unite to do something positive for those in need. There is a caveat, however: for this project to come to fruition, donations are needed.
“We're asking people to help with this important assembly of those in recovery venturing to Panama to make this church a reality,” Father Robert said. “A total of $15,000 will be needed.”
Perhaps Father Robert calls upon a higher power to help make a difference in the lives of recovering addicts or perhaps, he calls upon his own experience. While many hide the fact that they are in recovery, Father Robert wears it on his sleeve. A recovering alcoholic, he's been sober for almost 10 years years now and isn't afraid to talk about it or even reference it in one of his sermons.
His journey to sobriety started in 2008 when, he said, “My loving family and a loving parish said they didn't want to sit back and watch me die.”
He said that alcohol had become a necessary chemical to have in his body to function or he'd go thought terrible withdrawal symptoms.
“It had become such a disaster, and it was time to surrender and get help,” Father Robert said.
As he began his path to recovery, he said he quickly learned how addiction works. “Addiction hijacks your coping mechanisms. It's really a brain disease, and the addiction atrophies your brain. That's what makes quitting and addiction can be so hard. You want to feel 'alright' but it's like your brain is sabotaging you. This is why many people relapse be it recovering from drugs or alcohol. It's only through lots of support and recovery groups that I was able to gain my sobriety. God based programs work wonders.”
He remembers a higher-up in the church inquiring what the “contingency plan” would be “when” he started drinking again.
“They didn't think I could do it, but ha! Look here I am,” Father Robert smiled.
Early on in his recovery, he knew it was his calling to marry his love of what sobyriety had done for him and his love of the church. Just five months sober, he started a meeting group right at Christ Church.
In 2015, he led a group to Panama to build a house for a man who had been paralyzed. This trip was in memory of Jeff Syberg and was spearheaded by Father Robert and Jeff's mother, Terry Syberg.
“Three years later, all nine of the kids who were in recover on that trip are still clean and sober,” he said.
To participate in “Honor Steven Cagno,” those in recovery must be at least one year clean/sober.
On a subsequent trip to Panama, Father Robert learned of an Episcopal church that had fallen on hard times, disrepair and virtual ruin. This trip will be the Phoenix Rising for the church as Father Robert and his group resurrect it into, not just an Episcopal Church, but a church for all faiths and a place where people can meet.
Father Robert's weekly sermons are soliloquies of inspiration, encouragement to do some soul searching, and epistles to be positive and to make a difference. Now, he's encapsulating those messages into this mission to help recovering addicts join him in a chorus of hope while helping others all in the memory of a lad that lost his life to addiction.
The trip will take place next May, but pivotal ground must be paved for it to happen. Donations can be made at www.christchurchnewton.org, via the church's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/christchurchnewton/. Follow the link to donate to “Honor Steve Cagno.” You can also mail a check to Christ Church with a memo “Honor Steve Cagno” To Christ Church, 62 Main St, Newton, NJ 07860.