''Scrupulous Anonymous'' is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

monthly newsletter and website published by Liguori Publications, written primarily for individuals who suffer from

scrupulosity Scrupulosity is the pathological guilt and anxiety about moral issues. Although it can affect nonreligious people, it is usually related to religious beliefs. It is personally distressing, dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impa ...

. It is a ministry of the

Redemptorists The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scala ...

founded by St.

Alphonsus Liguori Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787) was an Italian Catholic bishop and saint, as well as a spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. He founded the Congre ...

. The newsletter is run by Thomas Santa, a Redemptorist priest who ministers to those with scrupulosity. Liguori himself suffered from "scruples" and feelings of religious guilt in his own life and developed techniques for helping people with the condition.

Ignatius Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the So ...

, founder of the Jesuits, also struggled with scrupulosity. The newsletter features a main article and a section dedicated to answering questions submitted by readers. Many people struggle with faith issues about sin, guilt, punishment, and hell, but others so fear offending Godor fear never achieving God's forgivenessthat they are unable to participate in daily life without experiencing severe doubt and anxiety. Rather than experiencing faith as a source of peace, their faith causes them to obsess over the decisions they make. The newsletter ministers to the afflicted. Psychologist William Van Ornum reported a survey of one thousand subscribers to ''Scrupulous Anonymous'' and documented their feelings of anguish and suffering. In his book ''The Doubting Disease'', Joseph Ciarrocchi stated that: "I have found the newsletter a useful adjunct to therapy for religious persons". Based on a half-century of questions and answers published in ''Scrupulous Anonymous'', the book ''Understanding Scrupulosity: Questions and Encouragement'' addresses concerns related to sin, thoughts, dreams, fantasies, and sexuality, as well as confession, self-worth, prayer, and God's grace.

References

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External links

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Catholic newspapers