Making Parishes Spiritually and Mentally Healthy

Susan Windley-Daoust Director of Missionary Discipleship swindley@dowr.org

�riends, as we continue to consider how parishes can become field hospitals for the wounded, we need to think not just of spiritual health (which is why parishes exist: to announce and facilitate the salvation of all), but also attend to people’s mental health.

The United States, and especially our youngest generations, is in the midst of a mental health crisis. The numbers of people suffering depression and anxiety have never been higher, and Gen Z (our youngest adults) is officially the loneliest generation on record.* The pandemic contributed to this mightily, but it isn’t just the isolation that came with the pandemic. We live in a culture of lost connections.

I recently re-read Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression–and the Unexpected Solutions (Bloomsbury, 2018). While people may disagree with pieces of the book and the author’s commitments (parts of this are definitely not Christian, and rated R), the data he provides regarding social contributions to depression and anxiety is alarming. It can be summarized in a line that has been highlighted through Kindle by more than 4000 people: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a sick society.”

His basic argument is that modern Western cul-

Spiritual Support for Parents of Children with Disabilities

May 11 6:30 p.m.

St. James Coffee, Rochester

I� you are a parent of a child with disabilities, we welcome you to the first gathering of this monthly group for spiritual nourishment. Mass in SJC’s chapel at 6 p.m., meeting at 6:30. Contact Susan for more information: swindley@dowr.org

Retreat: An Introduction to Ignatian Contemplation

August 5-6

Shalom Hill Farm, Windom

Leaders: Fr. Jonathan Fasnacht and Susan Windley-Daoust

More info and registration: https://www.dowr.org/offices/missionarydiscipleship/retreats.html ture is contributing mightily to the rise in depression and anxiety, and the struggle to treat it. I’m no mental health counselor, and I respect the needed and important work they do. If you are struggling, seek their help! But he also says there are natural disconnects that our society demands in a way it didn't used to before: we are disconnected from

1. Meaningful work

2. Other people

3. Meaningful values

4. Childhood trauma

5. Status and respect

6. The natural world

7. A hopeful and secure future

While you may quibble with one or more of these, you probably agree with others. And, thanks be to God, our faith addresses most of these disconnections in the most profound ways, healthy ways that can significantly help people emerge from depression and anxiety. Meaningful values? Check. Respect through honoring human life and dignity? Check. A sacramental understanding of the natural world? Check. Hope for our eternal future, and the possibility of better in our present day? Check. Christ the Healer attending, embracing, our trauma? Check. Companions on the journey (other people)? Check! I dream of parishes that promote mental health by promoting the best of what it means to be human. But it is easy to talk the talk and not walk the walk. Do we talk about our deepest values openly? Do we work to foster a parish of Christ-centered friend ships? Do we respect everyone who walks in the door as a child of God? Do we have parish events that rejoice in the beauty and gift of the natural world? Do we offer a listening ear to people recov ering from trauma? Do we speak of Christ our Hope as our present and future, in good times and bad? Do we believe He makes a difference?

I don’t want to be glib and say parishes can solve everyone’s mental health challenges. But we are called to be the counterculture people desperately need: communities of care, friendship, and hope. If we live in a culture that is making us sick, part of discipleship–and evangelization–must attend to fostering communities that encourage mental and spiritual health. We all need that community, and many people are desperately seeking such a community. How can we foster friendship and deep connections to the Lord and each other in this coming month?

* https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/ blog/the-case-connection/202208/3-thingsmaking-gen-z-the-loneliest-generation Anyone who wishes to explore more how parishes can support people with mental illness can view for free the Revive Parishes training on Mental Health in parish ministry. “Spirit, Body and Mind” is offered by Sr. Josephine Garrett, a licensed mental health counselor. The

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