Healing the Hidden Wounds: A statewide Catholic response takes shape #Catholic – 
The doors of the Church, Pope Francis has said, must always remain open – especially for those carrying unseen wounds.
On May 2, that call took concrete shape as more than 200 clergy, religious, educators, mental health professionals, ministry leaders and more gathered with a shared purpose: confronting the growing mental health crisis not from the margins, but from the heart of the faith community.
“Struggle is not a failure of humanity. Silence is. When we treat addiction or mental illness as something that must be concealed or explained away or endured alone, we unintentionally transform human suffering into spiritual isolation – and isolation is where despair grows,” said Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, the keynote speaker for the New Jersey Catholic Mental Health Conference held at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
Hosted by the Diocese of Metuchen, the conference, titled “From Isolation to Belonging: Mental Health and the Catholic Church,” brought together participants from all five New Jersey (arch)dioceses, as well as leaders from multiple religions. The daylong gathering blended pastoral reflection with practical strategy from Bishop Dolan and leading Catholic voices and experts in the field.
The day started with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark. Concelebrating were: Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden; Father Jonathan S. Toborowsky, administrator of the Diocese of Metuchen; Bishop Dolan, and Father Tim Graff from the Archdiocese of Newark.
Coordinated by the New Jersey Catholic Conference in partnership with the state’s dioceses, Catholic Charities agencies and the Catholic Healthcare Partnership of New Jersey, the conference reflected a growing recognition among Church leaders: the mental health crisis is not only a clinical concern, but a pastoral one.
That message was echoed in Cardinal Tobin’s opening remarks, where he invoked Pope Francis’ vision of the Church as “a field hospital after battle.” The image, he suggested, is more than metaphor. It is a directive – one that calls the Church to move toward those who are wounded, to listen without judgment, and to build communities where isolation gives way to belonging.
Suffering in Silence
In his keynote, Bishop Dolan, a survivor of suicide loss, spoke on the effects of isolation and the importance of accompaniment. He cited a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General that found how chronic loneliness can increase the risk of premature death to a level comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. In addition, chronic loneliness can raise the risk of dementia in older adults by roughly 50%.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
A person can be in a room and still be distant. One can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. To be with someone is to be present in a way that acknowledges the other and allows that person to matter. Show up. Stay. Listen.
“That is why the word ‘with’ carries such weight,” Bishop Dolan said. “It points to something deeper than proximity. It speaks of relationship. It speaks of identity.”
Being present for others is especially important in a world in which humanity is connected more than ever before, while true communication is lacking.
“I have come to say clearly: Isolation kills but communion heals. I say that because I’ve seen it and I’ve experienced it,” he said, explaining that five of his family members have died by suicide.
“There is a silence that follows this kind of loss. It’s different,” he explained. “There are questions that don’t always have answers. You find yourself wondering, ‘What more could have been done? Where did I go wrong? Why wasn’t I there? How may I have made a difference?’”
This is also true among leaders of faith, Bishop Dolan said. “I’ve met priests who waited years before seeking help, years of quiet anguish, because they feared disappointing their bishop, their community or their people. I’ve met women religious who believe their vows required endurance without expression. Endurance is not the same as holiness. Suffering in silence is not a sacrament or religious virtue.”
Hope and Healing
Accompaniment was among the first topics that Beth Hlabse, program director of the Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health at Notre Dame University’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, discussed in her presentation.
Overcoming mental illness “is not just a matter of willpower,” she stressed, urging anyone accompanying a loved one to look at is as a “journey of working with [that person], rather than compounding the shame by saying it’s only a matter of willpower – because it’s not.”
“Remember, your role is not to diagnose,” she said. “[It is] to encounter each person according to their uniqueness, to discern their level of suffering and to ask the Lord, ‘Lord, how am I called to walk with this person? How am I called to support them in accessing a broader network of resources beyond what I and our immediate community can offer?’”
With more than one in five American adults living with a mental illness (23.4%), and more than one in 20 U.S. adults living with a serious mental illness (5.6%), she also addressed contributing factors, including illness, and biological, environmental and developmental elements.
Environmental factors aren’t just natural surroundings, she said. “It’s also social media and peer influence – things that put stress on us and increase our vulnerability to mental illness.”
When it comes to developmental factors, consider: “What was the family environment like growing up? The school and neighborhood environments … because when we’re young, we’re more susceptible to environmental influence than we are when we’re older. … Mental illness is not the result of just any one factor.”
God, she continued, is with every person in times of anxiety, depression, stress and illness, as seen when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “God enters into the very depths of our suffering, so that even in times of desolation, we believe that God is there.”
“Healing is a movement from isolation toward communion, toward an experience of hope amidst hardship,” she said.
National Initiatives
Ben Wortham, vice president for Behavioral Health Integration at Catholic Charities USA, and Deacon Ed Shoener, founder of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, presented a collaborative vision for addressing mental health during their session, “Mental Health Ministries for Our Parishes: National Initiatives and Local Action.” Their presentation emphasized that effective mental health care must extend beyond clinical treatment to include housing, community support, education, and spiritual care.
Wortham stressed that “mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” underscoring the need for collaboration among mental health providers, health care systems, and the social determinants of health — including housing, income, employment, education, family and social support, community safety, and access to food and transportation.
He noted that even when people seek professional mental health care, recovery remains difficult if they return to unstable living conditions or lack essential support systems.
“Especially with the poor and vulnerable populations, we can’t talk about mental health without talking about basic needs being met,” he said, highlighting three initiatives developed through Catholic Charities USA:
- Healthy Housing Initiative — a program currently operating in five major cities that integrates mental health support with housing services, helping reduce chronic homelessness by pairing affordable housing with onsite mental health care.
- “Sister Hope” AI Mental Health Chatbox — a 24/7 faith-aligned support platform that provides coaching programs, referrals to Catholic Charities services, and expanded access for hard-to-reach populations.
- “Whole Hearted” — trauma-informed workshops and parish resources designed to integrate spirituality and religious practices with behavioral health education and mental health awareness.
Wortham encouraged attendees to stop viewing mental health as an isolated issue and instead focus on integrated care that addresses both emotional and material needs. He pointed to the importance of Medicaid expansion — noting that 10 states have yet to adopt the program — as well as increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to help provide competitive salaries for mental health professionals. Above all, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration among churches, health systems, and community organizations.
Local Action on the Parish Level
For Deacon Shoener, the central mission of parish mental health ministry is simple but profound: “to be a healing presence in our parishes.” His hope, he said, is that one day “the first place someone with mental health challenges would look for understanding and support is the Catholic Church.”
That vision is deeply personal for Shoener. Nearly 10 years ago, he lost his daughter, who struggled with bipolar disorder and died by suicide. Reflecting on the experience, he explained that “a mental health crisis is also a spiritual crisis,” one that must be met with the love of Christ and the promise of hope.
Deacon Shoener shared that the obituary he wrote for his daughter became an unexpected ministry of its own. More than a tribute to her life, it openly addressed the realities of mental illness and the needs of those who suffer in silence. The obituary spread widely online, reaching millions of readers and prompting tens of thousands of people around the world to contact him with their own stories. Again and again, he heard the same concern: many felt the Church offered little support to individuals experiencing mental illness or to their loved ones.
That response ultimately led Deacon Shoener to partner with Bishop Dolan in founding the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers. Today, the lay association includes more than 7,000 members in over 75 countries and works to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness while equipping parish leaders with resources and support.
“Mental illness is an illness just like all the other illnesses that doctors treat, and it needs to be understood that way,” Deacon Shoener said.
He noted that current efforts focus on integrating mental health ministry into the everyday life of the Church and normalizing conversations around mental wellness in the same way physical health concerns are addressed.
Addressing conference attendees directly, he challenged those interested in mental health ministry to consider their own willingness to be vulnerable. “Those of you who want to get involved in mental health ministry … are you ready to share your story?” he asked, stressing that trust and accompaniment often begin with personal witness.
He also pointed to three major barriers that prevent many people from seeking support within the Church: fear that clergy or parish leaders will not understand their experience, fear of judgment and stigma, and the perception that little support exists within parish communities.
Still, he encouraged participants to see their presence at the conference as a call to action. “If you are here, you are being tapped on the shoulder in some way to bring this mental health ministry to your community,” he said.
To learn more about Catholic mental health ministry resources, visit the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers at https://catholicmhm.org.
Jennifer Mauro is the managing editor of the Catholic Star Herald, the newspaper for the Diocese of Camden. Mary Morrell is the editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper for the Diocese of Metuchen.
– The doors of the Church, Pope Francis has said, must always remain open – especially for those carrying unseen wounds. On May 2, that call took concrete shape as more than 200 clergy, religious, educators, mental health professionals, ministry leaders and more gathered with a shared purpose: confronting the growing mental health crisis not from the margins, but from the heart of the faith community. “Struggle is not a failure of humanity. Silence is. When we treat addiction or mental illness as something that must be concealed or explained away or endured alone, we unintentionally transform human suffering into spiritual
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![‘God hears the cries of the victims,’ Mexican bishop assures at Walk for Peace - #Catholic - The president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference issued a powerful call to the Church and society not to turn away from those suffering because of the violence that is the result of organized crime, declaring that “our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca delivered the message during the 12th annual Walk for Peace in his diocese on Saturday, May 16, as thousands gathered to reject resignation in the face of ongoing violence.This march, he said, demonstrates that the people of Morelos are “a people who keep moving forward, who don’t give up, and who continue to believe that peace is possible.”According to the most recent report by the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, 17 Mexican localities appear on the list of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Cuernavaca ranks 23rd.Guarding the ‘flame’ of peaceAfter recalling the message of Pope Leo XIV for the 2026 World Day of Peace observed on Jan. 1, in which the Holy Father described peace as “a small flame threatened by the storm,” Castro affirmed: “That is what we have come here to do today: to guard that flame so that it’s not extinguished by the storm. And we do so together, for if we stand alone, it goes out. But together, we can keep it lit.”The Mexican prelate emphasized that his message is not “that of a politician, nor of a social analyst, nor of someone who seeks to point out the suffering of others from a distance. I speak as a shepherd, as a brother who walks alongside his people.”Tweet“I speak as a disciple of Jesus Christ who has seen too many tears on the faces of [the people of] Morelos and of Mexico, of our homeland, so deeply wounded by the violence afflicting our families,” he noted.“I have heard the mothers who break their silence, searching [for their disappeared children],” he continued. “I have seen the fear of young people who feel their future slipping away; the weariness of entire families living amid uncertainty, violence, and abandonment; the exhaustion of transport workers unable to earn an honest living because organized crime holds them in subjugation; and the fed-up frustration of so many who can no longer put up with the corruption we endure.”In the face of this suffering, he said, “the Church cannot remain indifferent, nor take refuge in the comforting atmosphere of its churches; for the God in whom we believe is not a God who observes from afar, he is the God of the burning bush, the God who said to Moses: ‘I have seen the oppression of my people, I have heard their outcry, and I have come down to deliver them.’ Our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”“The Church is not here to divide or to sow confusion out of ambition or to gain power; the Church is here to build based on the truth, for only the truth can open the way to authentic reconciliation,” the prelate said.“In the face of the person mourning a child, of the one who has been forcibly disappeared, of the one being extorted, or of the one who has lost hope — there is Christ, crying out once again from the cross,” he lamented.
Bishop Ramón Castro Castro blesses the participants of the 12th Walk for Peace in Cuernavaca, Morelos state, Mexico, with the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday, May 16, 2026. | Credit: Diocese of Cuernavaca
A priest forced to leave his parish due to death threatsThe prelate subsequently referred to the “particular wound” afflicting the small town of Huautla, in southern Morelos — one of the “poorest and most forgotten corners of our state,” a “land of simple, hardworking people; a land hard hit for years by poverty and migration; a land that has watched its children depart in search of the daily bread they can’t get there.”There, he denounced, “organized crime has reached a level of cruelty that defies description,” exacting extortion payments, also known as protection money, “simply for living there, simply for owning a home.”“When the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Huautla became the last bastion of hope for the community, as the priest so often is in Mexico’s most vulnerable villages, and when his presence and his words were the only support the people had left to keep from sinking into despair, organized crime threatened to take his life.”“Those threats were so serious, so real, and so concrete that he was forced to leave his community for his own physical protection; and today, Huautla is left without a shepherd,” he lamented.TweetGoverning means not abandoning the peopleCastro emphasized in his message that “governing means not abandoning the people. Governing means not refusing to take up the responsibility of guaranteeing the security and well-being of every person within the territory entrusted to them.”“Our heartfelt plea without mincing words is that Huautla not be left all alone; that the government do its job to help the mothers searching [for their disappeared children] an effort which they rightly deserve; that transport workers be afforded security; that thousands upon thousands of merchants — micro, small, and medium-sized alike — be able to work without having to pay protection money; and that our young people be provided with real alternatives: quality education, decent jobs, and personal safety, so that organized crime is not the only door open to them.”“We ask you, government officials, not to sell us false narratives. The people aren’t buying them anymore then you declare peace, while 90% of the people of Morelos are afraid to step out onto the street. That’s not governing; that’s an insult to the intelligence of the people,” he stated.At the same time, he assured the authorities of help from the Church and its priests, religious, and communities: “We’re not here to criticize for the sake of criticism; we are here to contribute, to offer accompaniment, to put forward proposals, and to walk together toward peace.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/god-hears-the-cries-of-the-victims-mexican-bishop-assures-at-walk-for-peace-catholic-the-president-of-the-mexican-bishops-conference-issued-a-powerful-call-to-the-chur.webp)
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![First Holy Communion held at Clifton parish #Catholic - St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., celebrated the First Holy Communion of 11 young parishioners on May 2. First Communicants are George Bazo, Liliana Bazo, Ariela Chiong, Patrick Diaz, Jonathan Grabowski, Edric Mineses, Jackson Rios, Ryan Valentine, Angel Velez Jr., Mariana Velez, and Jose Alejandro Zuniga. The Mass was celebrated by Father Jeider Barraza, pastor, and Father Joseph DeMarzo, parochial vicar. Surrounded by family and the parish community, the children received the Eucharist for the first time, marking a significant milestone in their Catholic faith journey.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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![Indian Catholics denied bail after confronting mob that disrupted Mass #Catholic UDAIPUR, India — Nine Catholics have been behind bars for more than two weeks after parishioners chased out more than a dozen people who barged into a village church during Mass, shouting accusations of conversion, in a remote village in Indiaʼs desert state of Rajasthan.“We feel frustrated that our people were denied bail a second time today on the false allegation of conversion,” Bishop Devprasad John Ganawa of Udaipur, a Divine Word missionary, told EWTN News on May 12.“When the hooligans disrupted the Mass on May 1 shouting ‘conversion,’ our people forced them out. Instead of registering a criminal case against the intruders, the police have charged our people with ‘conversion and attempt to murder’ and arrested nine Catholics of Bandaria Parish,” Ganawa explained.‘They took out a knife’“I was saying the evening Mass at the substation of my parish at Kalinjara village when the incident happened,” Father Arvind Amliyar recounted to EWTN News.“During the Communion time over a dozen people stormed into the church, shouted ‘conversion,’ and started filming with cameras. When one of them took out a knife, our people snatched it and chased them out,” Amliyar said.“Soon police came and what happened then shocked me. Instead of finding out what had happened, they arrested four Catholics the same night,” the priest said.A Hindu mob then staged a protest outside the police station and demanded action against the parishioners, according to Amliyar. Police turned away Catholics who went to them twice, including at midnight the same day and the next day, refusing to register their complaint.Police came knocking on May 4 at 2:30 a.m. and arrested five more parishioners, including Anil Rawat, 70, a retired headmaster of a government school who now runs a private school in the village.Bail denied twiceThe local magistrate court rejected the parishioners' bail application the next day, as they were charged with “serious crimes”: conversion and attempted murder. Church lawyers then moved the case to the Banswara district court, which denied bail again on May 12.“Now, we have to go to the High Court with senior lawyers,” Amliyar said of the challenging situation facing the village church, which serves about 70 Catholic families. About 70 people were attending Mass when the intruders stormed in.“I cannot understand what is going on. The police bluntly refused to register the complaint of our people and have filed a serious charge of conversion against our people and imprisoned them,” Ganawa said of the first case of alleged conversion in Udaipur Diocese, where he has served as bishop for 13 years.Anti-conversion laws ‘reduced to a tool to harass minorities’“This is another typical case of the widespread abuse of anti-conversion laws against Christians in several states, most of them ruled by the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party],” A.C. Michael, a Catholic and national coordinator of the United Christian Forum, which monitors atrocities against Christians, told EWTN News from New Delhi.Under the Indian criminal system, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. However, under recently enacted or amended anti-conversion laws, Michael said, the burden of disproving the charge of conversion is shifted to the accused, making it difficult for defendants to secure bail from trial courts quickly, even in fraudulent cases.Under the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, enacted in 2025, the burden of disproving the allegation of conversion falls on the accused.As a result, Michael said, hundreds of Christians are languishing in jails in BJP-ruled states while protracted legal challenges drag on in higher courts.“The shocking reality is that there has been hardly any conviction in so-called conversion cases. That is why the churches and Christian groups have moved the Supreme Court for abolishing the anti-conversion laws that have been reduced to a tool to harass minorities,” Michael said.He noted that the Supreme Court in May 2024 observed that certain provisions in anti-conversion laws may be in violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate oneʼs religion.The Feb. 4–10 biennial assembly of more than 200 bishops in India in Bangalore also reiterated this concern in its final statement: “As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and right to privacy.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/indian-catholics-denied-bail-after-confronting-mob-that-disrupted-mass-catholic-udaipur-india-nine-catholics-have-been-behind-bars-for-more-than-two-weeks-after-parishioners-chased-out-mor-scaled.jpg "Indian Catholics denied bail after confronting mob that disrupted Mass #Catholic UDAIPUR, India — Nine Catholics have been behind bars for more than two weeks after parishioners chased out more than a dozen people who barged into a village church during Mass, shouting accusations of conversion, in a remote village in Indiaʼs desert state of Rajasthan.“We feel frustrated that our people were denied bail a second time today on the false allegation of conversion,” Bishop Devprasad John Ganawa of Udaipur, a Divine Word missionary, told EWTN News on May 12.“When the hooligans disrupted the Mass on May 1 shouting ‘conversion,’ our people forced them out. Instead of registering a criminal case against the intruders, the police have charged our people with ‘conversion and attempt to murder’ and arrested nine Catholics of Bandaria Parish,” Ganawa explained.‘They took out a knife’“I was saying the evening Mass at the substation of my parish at Kalinjara village when the incident happened,” Father Arvind Amliyar recounted to EWTN News.“During the Communion time over a dozen people stormed into the church, shouted ‘conversion,’ and started filming with cameras. When one of them took out a knife, our people snatched it and chased them out,” Amliyar said.“Soon police came and what happened then shocked me. Instead of finding out what had happened, they arrested four Catholics the same night,” the priest said.A Hindu mob then staged a protest outside the police station and demanded action against the parishioners, according to Amliyar. Police turned away Catholics who went to them twice, including at midnight the same day and the next day, refusing to register their complaint.Police came knocking on May 4 at 2:30 a.m. and arrested five more parishioners, including Anil Rawat, 70, a retired headmaster of a government school who now runs a private school in the village.Bail denied twiceThe local magistrate court rejected the parishioners' bail application the next day, as they were charged with “serious crimes”: conversion and attempted murder. Church lawyers then moved the case to the Banswara district court, which denied bail again on May 12.“Now, we have to go to the High Court with senior lawyers,” Amliyar said of the challenging situation facing the village church, which serves about 70 Catholic families. About 70 people were attending Mass when the intruders stormed in.“I cannot understand what is going on. The police bluntly refused to register the complaint of our people and have filed a serious charge of conversion against our people and imprisoned them,” Ganawa said of the first case of alleged conversion in Udaipur Diocese, where he has served as bishop for 13 years.Anti-conversion laws ‘reduced to a tool to harass minorities’“This is another typical case of the widespread abuse of anti-conversion laws against Christians in several states, most of them ruled by the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party],” A.C. Michael, a Catholic and national coordinator of the United Christian Forum, which monitors atrocities against Christians, told EWTN News from New Delhi.Under the Indian criminal system, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. However, under recently enacted or amended anti-conversion laws, Michael said, the burden of disproving the charge of conversion is shifted to the accused, making it difficult for defendants to secure bail from trial courts quickly, even in fraudulent cases.Under the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, enacted in 2025, the burden of disproving the allegation of conversion falls on the accused.As a result, Michael said, hundreds of Christians are languishing in jails in BJP-ruled states while protracted legal challenges drag on in higher courts.“The shocking reality is that there has been hardly any conviction in so-called conversion cases. That is why the churches and Christian groups have moved the Supreme Court for abolishing the anti-conversion laws that have been reduced to a tool to harass minorities,” Michael said.He noted that the Supreme Court in May 2024 observed that certain provisions in anti-conversion laws may be in violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate oneʼs religion.The Feb. 4–10 biennial assembly of more than 200 bishops in India in Bangalore also reiterated this concern in its final statement: “As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and right to privacy.”")
![Healing the Hidden Wounds: A statewide Catholic response takes shape #Catholic - The doors of the Church, Pope Francis has said, must always remain open – especially for those carrying unseen wounds.
On May 2, that call took concrete shape as more than 200 clergy, religious, educators, mental health professionals, ministry leaders and more gathered with a shared purpose: confronting the growing mental health crisis not from the margins, but from the heart of the faith community.
“Struggle is not a failure of humanity. Silence is. When we treat addiction or mental illness as something that must be concealed or explained away or endured alone, we unintentionally transform human suffering into spiritual isolation – and isolation is where despair grows,” said Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, the keynote speaker for the New Jersey Catholic Mental Health Conference held at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
Hosted by the Diocese of Metuchen, the conference, titled “From Isolation to Belonging: Mental Health and the Catholic Church,” brought together participants from all five New Jersey (arch)dioceses, as well as leaders from multiple religions. The daylong gathering blended pastoral reflection with practical strategy from Bishop Dolan and leading Catholic voices and experts in the field.
The day started with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark. Concelebrating were: Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden; Father Jonathan S. Toborowsky, administrator of the Diocese of Metuchen; Bishop Dolan, and Father Tim Graff from the Archdiocese of Newark.
Coordinated by the New Jersey Catholic Conference in partnership with the state’s dioceses, Catholic Charities agencies and the Catholic Healthcare Partnership of New Jersey, the conference reflected a growing recognition among Church leaders: the mental health crisis is not only a clinical concern, but a pastoral one.
That message was echoed in Cardinal Tobin’s opening remarks, where he invoked Pope Francis’ vision of the Church as “a field hospital after battle.” The image, he suggested, is more than metaphor. It is a directive – one that calls the Church to move toward those who are wounded, to listen without judgment, and to build communities where isolation gives way to belonging.
Suffering in Silence
In his keynote, Bishop Dolan, a survivor of suicide loss, spoke on the effects of isolation and the importance of accompaniment. He cited a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General that found how chronic loneliness can increase the risk of premature death to a level comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. In addition, chronic loneliness can raise the risk of dementia in older adults by roughly 50%.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
A person can be in a room and still be distant. One can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. To be with someone is to be present in a way that acknowledges the other and allows that person to matter. Show up. Stay. Listen.
“That is why the word ‘with’ carries such weight,” Bishop Dolan said. “It points to something deeper than proximity. It speaks of relationship. It speaks of identity.”
Being present for others is especially important in a world in which humanity is connected more than ever before, while true communication is lacking.
“I have come to say clearly: Isolation kills but communion heals. I say that because I’ve seen it and I’ve experienced it,” he said, explaining that five of his family members have died by suicide.
“There is a silence that follows this kind of loss. It’s different,” he explained. “There are questions that don’t always have answers. You find yourself wondering, ‘What more could have been done? Where did I go wrong? Why wasn’t I there? How may I have made a difference?’”
This is also true among leaders of faith, Bishop Dolan said. “I’ve met priests who waited years before seeking help, years of quiet anguish, because they feared disappointing their bishop, their community or their people. I’ve met women religious who believe their vows required endurance without expression. Endurance is not the same as holiness. Suffering in silence is not a sacrament or religious virtue.”
Hope and Healing
Accompaniment was among the first topics that Beth Hlabse, program director of the Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health at Notre Dame University’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, discussed in her presentation.
Overcoming mental illness “is not just a matter of willpower,” she stressed, urging anyone accompanying a loved one to look at is as a “journey of working with [that person], rather than compounding the shame by saying it’s only a matter of willpower – because it’s not.”
“Remember, your role is not to diagnose,” she said. “[It is] to encounter each person according to their uniqueness, to discern their level of suffering and to ask the Lord, ‘Lord, how am I called to walk with this person? How am I called to support them in accessing a broader network of resources beyond what I and our immediate community can offer?’”
With more than one in five American adults living with a mental illness (23.4%), and more than one in 20 U.S. adults living with a serious mental illness (5.6%), she also addressed contributing factors, including illness, and biological, environmental and developmental elements.
Environmental factors aren’t just natural surroundings, she said. “It’s also social media and peer influence – things that put stress on us and increase our vulnerability to mental illness.”
When it comes to developmental factors, consider: “What was the family environment like growing up? The school and neighborhood environments … because when we’re young, we’re more susceptible to environmental influence than we are when we’re older. … Mental illness is not the result of just any one factor.”
God, she continued, is with every person in times of anxiety, depression, stress and illness, as seen when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “God enters into the very depths of our suffering, so that even in times of desolation, we believe that God is there.”
“Healing is a movement from isolation toward communion, toward an experience of hope amidst hardship,” she said.
National Initiatives
Ben Wortham, vice president for Behavioral Health Integration at Catholic Charities USA, and Deacon Ed Shoener, founder of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, presented a collaborative vision for addressing mental health during their session, “Mental Health Ministries for Our Parishes: National Initiatives and Local Action.” Their presentation emphasized that effective mental health care must extend beyond clinical treatment to include housing, community support, education, and spiritual care.
Wortham stressed that “mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” underscoring the need for collaboration among mental health providers, health care systems, and the social determinants of health — including housing, income, employment, education, family and social support, community safety, and access to food and transportation.
He noted that even when people seek professional mental health care, recovery remains difficult if they return to unstable living conditions or lack essential support systems.
“Especially with the poor and vulnerable populations, we can’t talk about mental health without talking about basic needs being met,” he said, highlighting three initiatives developed through Catholic Charities USA:
Healthy Housing Initiative — a program currently operating in five major cities that integrates mental health support with housing services, helping reduce chronic homelessness by pairing affordable housing with onsite mental health care.
“Sister Hope” AI Mental Health Chatbox — a 24/7 faith-aligned support platform that provides coaching programs, referrals to Catholic Charities services, and expanded access for hard-to-reach populations.
“Whole Hearted” — trauma-informed workshops and parish resources designed to integrate spirituality and religious practices with behavioral health education and mental health awareness.
Wortham encouraged attendees to stop viewing mental health as an isolated issue and instead focus on integrated care that addresses both emotional and material needs. He pointed to the importance of Medicaid expansion — noting that 10 states have yet to adopt the program — as well as increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to help provide competitive salaries for mental health professionals. Above all, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration among churches, health systems, and community organizations.
Local Action on the Parish Level
For Deacon Shoener, the central mission of parish mental health ministry is simple but profound: “to be a healing presence in our parishes.” His hope, he said, is that one day “the first place someone with mental health challenges would look for understanding and support is the Catholic Church.”
That vision is deeply personal for Shoener. Nearly 10 years ago, he lost his daughter, who struggled with bipolar disorder and died by suicide. Reflecting on the experience, he explained that “a mental health crisis is also a spiritual crisis,” one that must be met with the love of Christ and the promise of hope.
Deacon Shoener shared that the obituary he wrote for his daughter became an unexpected ministry of its own. More than a tribute to her life, it openly addressed the realities of mental illness and the needs of those who suffer in silence. The obituary spread widely online, reaching millions of readers and prompting tens of thousands of people around the world to contact him with their own stories. Again and again, he heard the same concern: many felt the Church offered little support to individuals experiencing mental illness or to their loved ones.
That response ultimately led Deacon Shoener to partner with Bishop Dolan in founding the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers. Today, the lay association includes more than 7,000 members in over 75 countries and works to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness while equipping parish leaders with resources and support.
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“Mental illness is an illness just like all the other illnesses that doctors treat, and it needs to be understood that way,” Deacon Shoener said.
He noted that current efforts focus on integrating mental health ministry into the everyday life of the Church and normalizing conversations around mental wellness in the same way physical health concerns are addressed.
Addressing conference attendees directly, he challenged those interested in mental health ministry to consider their own willingness to be vulnerable. “Those of you who want to get involved in mental health ministry … are you ready to share your story?” he asked, stressing that trust and accompaniment often begin with personal witness.
He also pointed to three major barriers that prevent many people from seeking support within the Church: fear that clergy or parish leaders will not understand their experience, fear of judgment and stigma, and the perception that little support exists within parish communities.
Still, he encouraged participants to see their presence at the conference as a call to action. “If you are here, you are being tapped on the shoulder in some way to bring this mental health ministry to your community,” he said.
To learn more about Catholic mental health ministry resources, visit the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers at https://catholicmhm.org.
Jennifer Mauro is the managing editor of the Catholic Star Herald, the newspaper for the Diocese of Camden. Mary Morrell is the editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper for the Diocese of Metuchen.
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