June 18, 2025 // Local

KNOWN Program in Goshen Aims to Help Heal Wounded Relationships

Denise Fedorow

Freelance Writer

Parish leaders at St. John the Evangelist in Goshen will soon begin a 12-week Catholic coaching program aimed at healing wounded relationships with God the Father. The first session of KNOWN: Embraced by the Heart of the Father is set to begin on Friday, June 25, and in-person small groups will begin the first week of July.

Normally, the cost of the program is $549, but this session, a past participant who believes strongly in its benefits has sponsored the majority of the cost, reducing the amount of the program to $149 per registrant. Leaders told Today’s Catholic that as of Wednesday, June 18, they were still accepting late registrations. Visit readytobeknown.com to learn more.

KNOWN was co-founded by Isaac Wicker, a therapist and dad, and Matthew Breuninger, a psychologist and dad, whose mission, according to the website, is “to help people more directly experience peace, healing, and new life in their relationship with God the Father.”

The co-founders met at a Catholic psychology conference several years ago and came to realize that both saw “a common need in the hearts of hurting Catholics” who believed in the goodness and existence of God but didn’t always feel they had His unconditional support. Wicker and Breuninger felt these men and women were lacking a “secure attachment” to God, so they created KNOWN, which seeks to remove barriers and deepen the trust and relationship with God the Father through weekly calls, meditations, and exercises.

The KNOWN program consists of weekly sessions via Zoom; guided curriculum of original prayer, meditations, and psychological exercises that organizers say reflect the integrated nature of faith, mental health, and attachment wounds; consistent accountability by joining a small group of brothers and sisters in Christ, which offers community, intercessory prayer, and accountability throughout the healing process.

Dr. Jim Wheeler, a parishioner and spiritual director at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Goshen, went through the program about two years ago as a participant.

“A few months ago, I repeated as a participant and small group leader,” he told Today’s Catholic. “The program is built on the premise that if you show up, be honest, and do the weekly exercises, God will do the rest. KNOWN renewed my sense of sonship with God the Father. It enabled me to stop blaming myself for the past. It deepened my sense of inner peace – a peace that I want to share this summer with my next KNOWN small group.”

Wheeler said participating in the small groups helps participants see how similar or how different their perception of God the Father is, and it can help change perspectives.

“The small group adds a personal element. I really liked the small group and came to value it,” he said.

Wheeler admitted he didn’t participate in a small group the first time, but he did the second time. “It helps encourage you to keep going. There are a lot of temptations to quit after the first couple of weeks. I think the in-person small groups are especially valuable.”

Wheeler said the small group at St. John has about 7-8 participants – a good size, he said. People don’t have to share, but it’s a safe environment for those who do share. If there are no in-person small groups nearby, there are online small groups available. Wheeler led an online group with participants from London, Canada, California, Texas, and Nebraska.

“We were really spread out,” he said, adding that the biggest challenge was finding a time that would work for everyone.

Even if someone has a good relationship with their earthly father and God the Father, there are still benefits to the program.

“There were people who had a great relationship with their dad and God the Father, and they got just as much out of it,” he said. “There’s really not a relationship that can’t get better if you spend time exploring it and spend time looking at it in a different way.”

As a small group leader, he said he really got to know the 10-12 people in his group and was able to see how they blossomed in 12 weeks, so he wanted to bring KNOWN to his parish to see the impact it can make on others.

Wheeler said that as a spiritual director he sees a person transform usually over a period of eight months. “With KNOWN, I see that happen in six to eight people over a 12-week period. I think, ‘Wow, this is a big gain.’ In the economy of salvation, you can touch the lives of a lot more people in a much shorter period of time,” he said.

“I’m really sold on the benefits of the program. I think it’s a great thing to do,” he said.