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- [Ryan] Overeating destroyed my body. At my highest weight, I was 464 pounds.
Four, three, two, one. And at my worst, I can remember being able to get a large
pizza and down it all in one sitting. No one can do it but you.
My name is Father Ryan Erny, and I'm a compulsive overeater.
Run on up to two, yes.
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My mom raised me since my dad left when I was about four years old.
I really treated him as dead to me because I didn't hear from him.
Eating was an emotional experience. It would satiate, at least for a moment,
the feeling of rejection, anger. It was comforting. It became kind
of spiral down, because as I gained weight I would get bullied for my weight,
so I would eat more. I did what I needed to survive in that
loneliness and that sadness.
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- [Choir] Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God...
- Because I didn't have the continual presence of my earthly father,
I had to rely on my heavenly father to ultimately learn how to be a father.
- By water and the Holy Spirit, she is to receive the gift of new life
from God who is love. The bottom was definitely this six-month
span of time where I gained 70 pounds. I was dying. The body of Christ.
I went out to this rehab facility which is set up for priests who are struggling
with addictions, but I also found a 12-step program.
Suddenly, you're amongst people that are all dealing with the same thing.
So it's not all about counting calories. I also needed to start to deal with
those inner demons.
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In this American culture, it's not almost allowed for guys to open
up and share about their emotional problems. I see it in the people I serve.
Young men need good, strong role models. Now that I've gone through such an immense
physical transformation, I can talk about the temptations.
The gym can become a hyper-sexualized environment. As priests,
we take vows of celibacy, and you have the ability to choose whether
you're going to give in to temptation or whether you're not.
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I know through this whole process of recovery and addiction that there are so
many people that struggle. And so, that's why it's important to have a priest
who understands that process, to meet people where they are. For me,
it's a very personal responsibility, empowering me to spread this message
of wellness amongst the people. And I still struggle,
but I'm accountable to my sponsor. I'm accountable to my other people in my
12-step program. I track all of the food that I eat.
Ave Maria.
Life is a journey,
and a priest accompanies people along that journey.
We hope in the final resurrection
of the body, and whatever the spiritual glorified body looks like,
that's what it will be. Until then, I'm going to train my body well.
It's the temple of the Holy Spirit.
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