Emmaus Companions Newsletter - March 29, 2022
Hello Everyone,
As I prepare another issue of our Emmaus Companions newsletter for publication my heart is heavy. This past week our family said goodbye to our first dog, a handsome beagle named Oliver. It has been a reminder to me that grief and loss know no bounds and that there are no rules to grief.
It has been a positive coincidence that this sad event has taken place while Melissa and I have been leading an online series of workshops on faith and grief. Much of the series' advice has been helpful, even as the loss continues to weigh heavy in my heart.
In addition to this online series. I was blessed to be invited to offer a talk at Christ the King Parish in Regina on Men's Mental Health and our need to break through the silencing stigma and shame in order to begin seeing more positive outcomes. The turnout for this in-person event was fairly good and I hope to be able to offer it again in other venues, including an online version in the future.
Peace and God Bless,
Deacon Eric
"While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him...they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them." - Luke 24:15-16;28-29
Our next Emmaus Support Group meeting will be Thursday, April 21, 2022 from 7:30pm-9:00pm via Zoom.
If you care for a loved one with mental health challenges and feel you could benefit from the support and prayers of peers with a similar lived experience, use the link below to find out how to register for our next meeting.
From The Emmaus Family Support Blog:
The Saints and Mental Health: St. Louis Martin and St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Therese understood that her mental health challenges did not define her deepest self. Clinging stubbornly to her identification as a child of God, created in God’s own divine image, helped to increase her capacity for resiliency, even as she lived with often serious mental health challenges
Sacramentality & Mental Health | Integrating Physical & Mental Wellness!
THE STARRY NIGHT – A BIPOLAR JOURNEY INTO RECOVERY - By Markku Kostamo
Vincent Van Gogh painted his now famous The Starry Night in Saint Rémy de Provence’s psychiatric facility in June 1889 at the height of his prolific output, probably during an experience of mania. Having visited Arles in Southern France, where Van Gogh did much of his painting, and having experienced my own visits to a psych ward, the piece has come to have a special place in my heart.
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