The Church of the Good Shepherd celebrated the one year anniversary of their addiction recovery program on Wednesday night with a remembrance ceremony dedicated to those who have lost their lives as the result of a substance abuse disorder.

Family and friends alike lit a total of 37 candles on the church’s alter, speaking the names of their departed loved ones softly.

Father Dan Bernier led the ceremony in prayer, extending a message of hope to those still continuing their fight.

“We have hope for a better future,” he said. “And we work tirelessly everyday towards that end.”

Wareham’s Fighting Against Addiction program got its start back in 2017, a year that saw 16 opioid-related deaths in town.

The program was spearheaded by Alyson McDonough, a resident who’s Facebook post on a community page known as Wareham Matters received an overwhelming response.

“I had just lost another friend to addiction and I wanted to do something about it,” McDonough said. “I asked if people would want to form a group, and the replies came flooding in.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the opioid-related death rate in Massachusetts is more than twice the national average with 29.7 deaths per 100,000. In just four years, the state saw it’s opioid death toll rise from 691 in 2012 to 1,990 in 2016.

“We all knew we had to do something,” McDonough said. “Especially here.”

McDonough herself is a heroin addict in long term recovery. Her struggles with addiction began at age 17 when doctors prescribed her opioids for an autoimmune disorder. By age 22, McDonough said she began experimenting with oxycontin. She would go on to use heroin for six years.

“I didn’t see myself as being addicted at first,” she said. “But before I knew it, I was 90 pounds soaking wet and had track marks up and down my entire body.”

McDonough participated in several detox programs, moving in and out of recovery facilities until finally arriving at the Women’s Addiction Treatment Center in New Bedford. There, McDonough said she found the strength and courage to overcome addiction with religion and counseling.

“I live a very simple life now,” she said. “But it’s so much more than ever imagined.”

The Church of the Good Shepherd welcomes drop-ins at its addiction recovery center on the third Wednesday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. The church is located at 74 High Street.

Resources available at the center include recovery support groups, support groups for families, information on detox programs and free Narcan training.

For more information, call 774-326-0066 or email warehamfightingaddiction@gmail.com. Information is also available on the program’s Facebook page, Wareham Fighting Against Addiction.