Image source: Shutterstock
CV NEWS FEED // The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced a special nine-day novena, starting October 10, in response to the nation’s growing mental health crisis, according to a September 23 press release.
The Novena will run from World Mental Health Day (October 10), to October 18, the feast of Saint Luke, the patron saint of health care. The novena will include “focused prayer, teaching, and actionable steps to engage more intentionally on mental health issues,” according to the press release, which adds:
This Novena is offered in solidarity with those suffering from mental health challenges as well as health care professionals, family, and friends who are caring for people in need. We hope that this modest Novena will move all people to discern how God is calling them to offer greater assistance to those with mental health needs.
Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop Robert Barron shared that the Novena will focus on a different mental health theme each day. Using a “Pray, Learn, Act” approach, it aims to provide “nine initial entry points” for prayerful reflection on the issue.
“It is our sincere hope that this Novena will inspire more prayer, reflection, and creative action to address these great challenges of our time,” the bishops wrote in a statement.
This initiative forms part of the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, a “year-round initiative of the USCCB in response to the ongoing mental health crisis across the United States,” which was launched in 2023 by Archbishop Gudziak, who is the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop Barron, who is Chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth.
According to the bishops, the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign aims “to combat the stigmas associated with this issue, and to advance wise, compassionate, and effective public policy in response to this growing crisis in our nation.”
In a November 2023 statement, Bishop Barron shared that the novena is the first of three stages of the campaign.
According to the Bishop, the second stage is an educational initiative, seeking to facilitate “roundtables,” or “Bishops talking to clinicians and to psychiatrists and psychologists, social workers, pastoral experts: so we can have really good structured conversations around how we, as pastors, can help address this issue.”
The third stage of the campaign is legislative. Because the issue transcends party lines and affects everyone, Bishop Barron expressed hope that it might be a cause of unity to combat the “polarization in our society.”
“With that in mind, we want to empower Catholics everywhere to advocate for effective legislation that will expand resources for mental health in the U.S.” He continued.
Archbishop Gudziak stated in November 2023: “Our nation faces a dire mental health crisis… We, as Catholics, can and must respond to this challenge with the hope and compassion of our Lord.”
“If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health, our message is clear. You are the treasure of the Church,” he stated. “Through this campaign we seek to respond to that call, and to follow in the compassionate footsteps of Jesus.”
