By Patricia McGeever

Eight years after experiencing what was likely the worst day of his life, Bob Considine is working to help people who suffer with mental health issues. His youngest son, Ryan, battled depression and anxiety and died by suicide in 2016 at age 25.

“You live with that for the rest of your life,” said Considine. “It’s a scar that’s never going to heal, but you try to move on as best you can and try to find some joy in this life.”

Considine and a group of men who battle with depression meet for coffee and conversation on Thursday mornings at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (IHM) in Anderson Township. That’s why a parish staff member thought he’d be a great facilitator for the new Mental Wellness Ministry in the archdiocese. Having education and awareness as its goals, ministry members will listen to and pray with those facing mental health challenges.

“This ministry is all about accompaniment,” said Lisa Averion, the Associate Director of the Office for Persons with Disabilities. “It does not provide counseling or therapy services. We are all about accompanying our brothers and sisters who have a mental illness or who care for someone with a mental illness.”

The pilot program was introduced in two Families of Parishes: Our Lady of Hope Family of Parishes, which consists of St. Francis de Sales in Lebanon and St. Philip in Morrow, and St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes, which includes IHM, Guardian Angels in Mount Washington and St. John Fisher in Newtown.

Averion says she expected a handful of people to get involved, but the response has been overwhelming. There are 18 active members in the St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes and four others who offer prayers. The Our Lady of Hope Family of Parishes has 14 active members and two prayer warriors.

Angie Cole is one of those two. “I just feel that right now there’s such a need for support, not only for people who are having significant mental health challenges, but even people who are just struggling with the day-to-day stresses of life,” she said.

Both Families of Parishes kicked off their ministries in May. St. Francis de Sales held a Mass for the families and friends of those who died by suicide. Deacon David Shea spoke in his homily of the son he lost to an accidental overdose and said, “We have all lost a loved one to the dreaded and most misunderstood of diseases.”

“It was a beautiful way to kick off their ministry,” said Averion. “One of the main goals is to break the stigma of mental illness and allow people to have a conversation about ‘What is mental illness?’”

The ministry’s purpose is to build a culture of acceptance and welcome people back in the Church—a Church who recognizes the psychological suffering of those with a mental illness.

“There’s a need out there right now, and I actually think things are looking better than they were a few years ago,” said Considine. “People are talking about it more than they used to. It’s not so taboo.”

The pastors made an assessment to determine each parish’s needs, and now, the group is coming up with new outreach approaches, such as IHM adding a Mental Health Minute in the weekly bulletin. Activities have also taken place in the parish schools to make the children aware of mental wellness.

“They had chair massages for the teachers,” Cole said of the activities at St. Francis de Sales. “The kids did nature walks. There were a variety of neat little activities to promote mental wellness.”

The archdiocese received a $30,000 grant from the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers to get the ministry up and running and will provide training for all the volunteers. A founding member, Deacon Ed Schoener will visit the archdiocese and talk to seminarians, priests and deacons about mental wellness at IHM on September 11. An open invitation for the community will follow, and he will be in Tipp City September 12.

While the ministry finds its footing, Averion meets monthly with the teams at each Family of Parishes. There are plans to create support groups in each Family of Parishes this fall, particularly three that haven’t yet been announced.

“I think what we’re doing is needed,” said Considine. “As Catholics, I think we’re called to be compassionate and caring. We don’t always know what another person is going through until we start asking these questions.”

This article appeared in the August 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here