We pray that mental health ministry becomes an integral ministry in the Church that is available in every Catholic parish and community. We pray for the elimination of the stigma and discrimination that people living with a mental illness encounter.
The Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (CMHM) partners with the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network and Click to Pray to offer a Monthly Day of Prayer for Mental Health. Each 2nd Monday of the month, CMHM will offer prayers and a blog post, connected to the Pope's monthly prayer intention. You may pray with us via the Click to Pray app or the Click to Pray website.
The Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers supports Catholic parishes and dioceses in establishing mental health ministries. Mental health ministries provide vital spiritual accompaniment for people experiencing mental illness, as well as those who care for them.
We work to eliminate the stigma and discrimination that people livingwith a mental illness encounter in the Church and in human society.
The mission of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is to pray and act upon the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church identified by the Pope in his monthly prayer intentions.
Click To Pray is a digital community of prayer where you can share the intentions of the Holy Father and pray together with others. The community builds bridges between generations, where we all pray as one.
Become a member of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers
We pray that people living with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society, and that institutions may offer inclusive programs which value their active participation.
Monthly Day of Prayer for Mental Health
The world is moving faster while maintaining mental health is more challenging. Pope Francis reminds us that “it is necessary to not be in a rush”.
The world is moving faster while maintaining mental health is more challenging.
A man and his wife had nine children. Their youngest lives at home. They already buried two children. Their time is spent trying to figure out how to help their son who lives with a disability caused by a serious mental illness; a son in his twenties who refuses medication.
Having experienced the death of two children, the wife struggles to give her son physical or emotional space. Disagreements over how to best support, not enable, have led the couple to counseling. But not their son, who sees his parents as the problem.
The man expressed how beneficial it would be to have a place at church to gather with others valiantly trying to navigate a similar journey. This family’s ‘paschal mystery’ needs to be told. And heard. What better place to do so than church? Where hope is a spiritual theme.
When Pope Francis extended the Synod, he explained, “The fruits of the synodal process underway are many, but so that they might come to full maturity, it is necessary not to be in a rush." A main desire from the synodal consultations was for a more welcoming Church. Where ALL members can find accompaniment.
When Mary visited Elizabeth, she stayed three months. Accompaniment takes time. Persons with a disability and greater needs call us to slow down. There are difficult realities in many families. Institutions and individuals can be beacons of hope, providing opportunities and places that draw people together and to God.
Author: Charleen Katra
Executive Director, National Catholic Partnership on Disability
Washington, DC, USA
We extend our thanks to Charleen Katra for her blog contribution for this month’s prayer.
(Click here to read the Pope's Prayer Network Blog)
Use the attached sample below to help spread the word about mental health ministry in your parish for this month's prayer intention.
January 2023 Educators - Mental Health Day Prayers
February 2023 Parishes - Mental Health Day Prayers
March 2023 Victims of Abuse - Mental Health Day Prayers
April 2023 - Culture of Peace and Non Violence
May 2023 - Church Movements and Groups
June 2023 - Abolition of Torture
July 2023 - For a Eucharistic Life
August 2023 - For World Youth Day
September 2023 - For People Living on the Margins
October 2023 - For the Synod
November 2023 - For the Pope
December 2023 - For Persons with Disabilities
Pope Francis Prays for Those with Mental Illness and Victims of Suicide
"I would like to remember our brothers and sisters who suffer from mental illness, and also victims – often young people – of suicide. Let us pray for them and their families, so that they are never left alone, or discriminated against, but instead are welcomed and supported."
Angelus on World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2021