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Partnership with the Pope's Worldwide Prayer NetworkMaking the connection between the
Pope's monthly prayer intention and mental health. -
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Prayer for Mental Health Ministry
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.
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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.
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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.
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Sign up for the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers Newsletter or Become a Member
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Become a member of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers
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December 11th, 2023 - Day of Prayer for Mental Health
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Pope's Prayer for persons with disabiities
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.
This month the Pope asks us to pray for people living with disabilities. Pope Francis has called for “courageous decisions to promote the inclusion of those experiencing physical and psychological limitations.” He asks us to “develop attitudes and acts of solidarity and service towards persons with disabilities and their families. Our aim should be to speak no longer about “them”, but rather about “us”. We pray that our parishes offer mental health ministries which value the active participation of those of us who live with a disability cause by a serious mental illness.
Monthly Day of Prayer for Mental Health
(Click here to read the Monthly Day for Prayer for Mental Health on the Pope's Prayer Network)
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The Blog:
Persons with a disability and greater needs call us to slow down.
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)
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Bulletin Announcements for your Parish Bulletin
Use the attached sample below to help spread the word about mental health ministry in your parish for this month's prayer intention.
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2024 Prayer Intentions
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JANUARY FOR THE GIFT OF DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH
Let us pray that the Spirit help us recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian community, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions in the heart of the Catholic Church.
FEBRUARY FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL
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.
MARCH FOR THE MARTYRS OF OUR DAY, WITNESSES TO CHRIST
Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.
APRIL FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN
Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.
MAY FOR THE FORMATION OF MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS, AND SEMINARIANS
Let us pray that men and women religious, and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, that leadsthem to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.
JUNE FOR THOSE FLEEING THEIR OWN COUNTRIES
Let us pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys fraught with danger and violence, may find welcome and new living opportunities in their host countries.
JULY FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF THE SICK
Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.
AUGUST FOR POLITICAL LEADERS
Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poor.
SEPTEMBER FOR THE CRY OF THE EARTH
Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and the climate crisis, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit.
OCTOBER FOR A SHARED MISSION
Let us pray that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of coresponsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity.
NOVEMBER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A CHILD
Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.
DECEMBER FOR PILGRIMS OF HOPE
Let us pray that this Jubilee strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.
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Past Monthly Mental Health Day Prayers and Blogs
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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
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- December 2022 Volunteer Organizations - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
- November 2022 Children Who Suffer - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
- October 2022 A Church Open to Everyone - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
- September 2022 Abolition of the Death Penalty - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
- August 2022 Small Business - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
- July 2022 The Elderly - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
- June 2022 The Family - Mental Health Day Prayers - Blog
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Just as Christ took all our suffering upon Himself, the Catholic Church sees Christ in those who live with mental illness and has consistently prayed for and ministered to them. Pope Francis lifted up these important efforts in November 2021 by offering his monthly prayer intention on behalf of those experiencing depression and burnout.
- Vatican News Article about November 2021 Prayer Intention
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The Pope Video - People who suffer from depression
- People who suffer from depression - script
- Press Release-People who suffer from depression
- People who suffer from depression infographic
- Survivors of Suicide Need Our Loving Support, Click to Pray, November 2021
- Mental Health Ministry: Pastoral Care for People Suffering from Mental Health Challenges, Click to Pray, November 2021
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Vatican News About Mental Health
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- Pope Francis says seeing a psychiatrist helped him with anxiety, Catholic News Agency, February 27, 2021
- Press release about November 2021 prayer intention for people who suffer from depression
- Vatican News shares Pope Francis' November 2021 intention
- Article from L'Osservatore Romano: L'Osservatore Romano - Mental Health - November 2021
- Some Saints Lived with Mental Illness - Vatican News, November 2021
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- Mental Health: A Personal Testimony of Assisting Depression, Vatican News, November 2021
- Pope Prays for those with mental illness and victims of suicide - October 10, 2021 Angelus
- Message of the Holy Father to the participants in the second National Conference for Mental Health - August 2021
- Moldavia, sostegno psicologico a chi fugge dalla guerra - Vatican News, April 2022
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NOVEMBER 2021| People who suffer from depression
Depression and anxiety: the most common mental health disorders(Vatican City, November 3, 2021) The message of Pope Francis’ prayer intention addresses a central issue in the lives of millions of people: mental health. In the video, he explains that in many cases, “sadness, apathy, and spiritual tiredness end up dominating people’s lives, which are overloaded due to the rhythm of life today.”
This edition of The Pope Video was created with the support of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, an association which offers spiritual support to people suffering some form of mental illness, and which fosters actions to prevent any kind of discrimination that would impede them from participating fully in the life of the Church.
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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
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