Nebraska bishop writes pastoral letter on mental health
June 13, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, has written a pastoral letter on mental health. The letter has two parts: “My Story of Pursuing Mental Health” and “Pursuing Mental Health.”
Bishop Conley discussed his 2019-20 leave of absence after he was “medically diagnosed with PTSD, major depression, anxiety, and tinnitus ... I share my own story in the hopes that it will hasten the demise of the mental health stigma in our culture. I also pray it will inspire others to embrace Jesus as the Divine Physician.”
The second part of the letter has three sections: “seeking wholeness and holiness,” “the Catholic context for mental health,” and “you are not alone.”
“I would like to close with a simple practice, adapted from St. Francis de Sales, a Bishop and Doctor of the Church, as well as a staunch advocate of the universal call to holiness,” he concluded. “Throughout the day, before beginning various tasks, let us do three things: acknowledge, offer, and accept ... Through the intercession of St. Dymphna, patroness of mental health, I pray for your wholeness and holiness.”
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