Sr. Marysia Weber, R.S.M., M.A., D.O., joins WCAT Radio Host, Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis for Episode 23 of “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love,” to discuss her chapter, entitled “Guideposts for the Seminary Formator in Understanding and Assessing Levels of Preoccupation with Use of Internet Pornography as a Formative Process for Moving From Vice to Virtue” in the new text Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century.

Sr. Marysia is a board-certified physician, specializing in psychiatry with a fellowship in consulting-liaison psychiatry; she completed her residency and training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sister earned a Master’s Degree in Theology from Notre Dame. Sr. Marysia Weber practiced psychiatry at her religious institute’s multidisciplinary clinic- Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, in Alma, MI from 1988-2014. In 2014, Sr. Marysia accepted the role of Director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where she is also a facilitator for Project Rachel, the Chair of the Board of Directors for MyCatholic Doctor, and an executive board member of the St. Louis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and an executive board member for the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology. Sister also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis. Additionally, Sr. Marysia has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored a number of books and chapters- including Chapter 15, in Spiritual Husbands-Spiritual Fathers, which is the subject of this interview. Sr. Marysia is a highly sought-after speaker and expert, and has presented to the Curia, at the Vatican in 2002 regarding the Sexual Abuse by Clergy in North American.

In this interview, Sr. Marysia and Dr. Urlakis address the issue of pornography use, compulsion, and addiction. Sr. Marysia shares her expertise, not only discussing the scope of the problem and the neuroscience behind internet pornography addiction, but also revealing effective and authentically Catholic strategies for hope and healing. In discussing her recently published chapter, Sr. Marysia also addresses specific recommendations for the seminary formator faced with assessing the level of preoccupation with the use of internet pornography among men in formation.

Sr. Marysia’s Chapter 15, entitled: “Guideposts for the Seminary Formator in Understanding and Assessing Levels of Preoccupation with Use of Internet Pornography as a Formative Process for Moving From Vice to Virtue,” is published in Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, published by Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s En Route Books and Media, which is available at: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/. (Oct. 8, 2020)