mental health

“In a nutshell, the decline in religious engagement does clearly have potential negative unintended consequences for mental and physical health,” says one psychology professor.

“It’s really helpful because our lives are full,” said Father Peter Williams, pastor of St. Ambrose Catholic Community in Woodbury. “How do we help priests go from survival mode to flourishing?”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than twice as many people died in 2020 by their own hand than by someone else, and while the annual suicide rate actually dropped in 2019 and 2020 — the last year that figures are available — the rate has risen sharply since 2000.

Both “Learning to Pray” and “Prayers and Blessings for Healthcare Workers” have a “pick-up-and-read” quality.

While there was a mental health crisis among children before the pandemic shut down the world, the fact one in five children ages 3-17 are having a mental, developmental, emotional or behavioral disorder, the isolation, fear and uncertainty has magnified the problem.

In the sea of practical advice given to deal with depression, anxiety, trauma and grief, “St. Dymphna’s Playbook” offers a uniquely Catholic perspective.

Workshops throughout the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering addressed numerous social outreach efforts to people on the margins, addressing poverty, immigration, racism, prison ministry, worker rights, mental health and economic development.

In a video message released by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network Nov. 3, the pope offered his prayer intention for the month of November, which he dedicated to people experiencing depression.