Emmaus Companions Newsletter - February 1, 2024
Hello Everyone,
Let there be light! Not just a resounding and exciting command in the first few lines of Genesis, but a much-welcome sight in our northern skies as we gradually move out of winter's darker days and begin to get a taste of spring. A recent social media post reminded me late last week that we have collectively made it through the darkest days of the year from November 16 to December 22. They neglected to mention that, much of North America also managed to make it through the coldest days of the year as well!
As we head into this new year, Melissa and I are very much looking forward to the gradual expansion of this vital mental health ministry in our diocese. To this end, we are preparing to attend a National Mental Health Minister's Conference at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago this coming April. We'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress and the fruits of that conference.
Along the lines of expanding access to the spiritual peer support this ministry offers, we're working closely with one of our group members to do just that at a parish in Saskatoon. This will be the first time we've expanded the ministry into a new parish and we're looking forward to collectively learning how best to navigate that process.
Finally, bulletin announcements and posters promoting this ministry have gone out to Archdiocese of Regina parishes. If you don't see one of our posters in your local parish, take a moment to download and print a copy yourself and ask your pastor if it might be added to your parish bulletin board.
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
Emmaus Support Group:
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:
On Hope and Healing: The Bishops of California Speak About Mental Health
In May of 2018, the Catholic Bishops Conference of California published a pastoral letter on caring for those who mental health challenges. Addressed to “all Catholics and people of goodwill,” the letter seeks to highlight the need to develop communities of care and support both within the church and within society as a whole. It is also a letter committed to action and change as California’s Bishops recognize “the heartbreaking prevalence of mental illness in our society and are taking action to address this tragic form of misery and sorrow.”
LISTEN: Communities of Care: Catholic Parishes and Mental Health Peer Support
This week on Thinking Faith Deacon Eric Gurash discusses the ways that spiritual peer support can help navigate mental health challenges and the role our parishes and Catholic social teaching can play in building caring, supportive communities.
Show Snippet: "Our parish communities are uniquely positioned to walk with others, offering prayer-filled support that can rebuild self-esteem and confidence often undermined by experiences of mental illness through a focus on mutuality, self-determination, respect, dignity, equity, and belonging."
Vatican holds first-of-its-kind mental health conference
By Joseph Tulloch
Catholic mental health ministers from all over the world gathered in the Dicastery for Communication for the first-ever Vatican workshop dedicated to mental health and pastoral care.
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