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A Virginia-based Catholic university focusing on psychology and counseling training recently commemorated 25 years with a dinner and the celebration of Mass at its chapel, which is named after the patron saint of mental health.
Divine Mercy University students, colleagues, and others came together May 8 for the anniversary celebrations. After Mass at the St. Dymphna Chapel, they held a dinner celebrating founders — Dr. Gladys Sweeney, Bishop Paul Loverde, and Dr. Bill Nordling — according to the Arlington Catholic Herald.
These pioneers and other mental health professionals launched the establishment of the institution, formerly known as the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, in 1997 to provide more robust resources on the interconnections of psychology and philosophy.
In 2000, the Institute received approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to confer Master of Science and Doctor of Psychology degrees in clinical psychology, according to the university’s website. The Institute was formally renamed to Divine Mercy University in 2015, the same year as it expanded its programs to also offer a Master of Science in counseling with a specialization in mental health counseling.
The university now also offers a certificate in spiritual direction. Earlier this month, the university announced a scholarship aimed at supporting those with religious and priestly vocations who are studying in mental health–related fields.
According to the Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocese’s Bishop Michael Burbidge praised the university’s efforts as “critically important as the church strives to meet the rising challenges of assisting those with mental and emotional health issues.”
May also marks Mental Health Awareness Month. CatholicVote previously reported that another bishop, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, last year penned a pastoral letter on mental health, and this month explained in an article that he speaks openly of his own mental health struggles in an effort to reduce the stigma around the subject.
Bishop Conley also outlined ways to improve mental health, ultimately emphasizing: “What we can be always sure of — no matter what is happening in our lives — is that we are not alone. You are not alone! God knows your suffering intimately and wants to walk with you through it.”
>> Lincoln bishop shares pastoral message for Mental Health Awareness Month <<