"As a Church, we recognize that mental health is a critical component of our overall health and wellbeing. The Office of Mental Health Ministry seeks to accompany those with mental health needs in our parish and school communities in a Catholic, sustainable, ethical, and meaningful way. The focus of this ministry is education, accompaniment, and advocacy.
The Office of Mental Health Ministry is not a clinical resource and is not intended to serve as a substitute for treatment or counseling with a qualified professional. We do not diagnose or treat mental illness, but rather serve as an avenue to provide literacy in mental health to promote the reduction of mental illness stigma, encourage conversations around mental illness, and create a safe environment for individuals to share and seek help surrounding their mental illness (Catholic Mental Health Ministry Guidelines, 2019).
Our mission is to help create pastoral environments where people living with mental illness can meet, share their experiences and their Catholic faith with others, and to grow spiritually in their relationship with God.
Remember, you are not alone." - Diocese of Phoenix, Office of Mental Health Ministry
This month the Pope asks us to pray for the terminally ill. People with a terminal diagnosis can experience mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and other serious mental health conditions. They can wonder if their life any longer has value. Pope Francis has said that “even in these harsh circumstances … the value of their being is measured by their capacity to give and receive love.” Let us pray that people who are terminally ill know that they are loved and that they can always find hope in Christ.
Let us pray that the sick who are in the final stages of life, and their families, receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.
O Lord, my God, please give me the grace to maintain my hope in you through all of life’s changes and to taste and see your goodness. I praise you for the gifts you have showered on me for so many years. Help me find joy in a renewed strength of spirit. Please bless me with good health and inspire me to be a good example to others. For you are Lord, forever and ever. Amen.
For The Terminally Ill
The Witness of the Good Samaritan