Archdiocese of Newark seeks to accompany those facing mental health issues

One of the many gifts that Pope Francis gave to the Church was his awareness of the importance of mental health issues, stating in 2021 that it was of “utmost importance to become increasingly aware of the professional and human requirements for caring for these brothers and sisters of ours.”

Indeed, the pope was frank about his struggles with anxiety when he was a young priest in Argentina living under a dictatorship. He told an interviewer that he had consulted a psychiatrist for six months, and that “she helped me position myself in terms of a way to handle the fears of that time.”

Pope Francis urged the Church to help “fully overcome the stigma with which mental illness has often been branded and, in general, to ensure that the culture of community prevails over the mentality of rejection, according to which greater care and attention is given to those who bring productive advantages to society, forgetting that those who suffer allow the irrepressible beauty of human dignity to shine forth in their wounded lives.”

Letting people know they are not alone

At the encouragement of Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R, the Archdiocese of Newark has responded to the pope’s call. According to John Kalinowski, coordinator for the archdiocesan Ministry of Loss & Healing, an important first step is to remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

“We want to give people a better understanding of what people in their parishes are going through in terms of personal mental health issues and with those who are close to them,” Kalinowski told Jersey Catholic. “Many people suffer in isolation, whether from their own mental health issues or dealing with family members who have problems. Mental health ministry helps people grow in their faith, knowing that they are not alone and the Church is there for them.”

The goal is to train parishioners as mental health facilitators so they can provide effective spiritual support to those in need. According to Kalinowski, six parishes in the archdiocese have established mental health ministries, and the number is growing.

His office trains new facilitators through a program called “Sanctuary Course for Catholics.” Held in seven sessions over Zoom, the course introduces participants to various mental health problems, builds empathy by sharing the real-life experiences of those who have endured mental health crises, and encourages discussion about how the community can accompany those living with such problems.

Helping those who suffer feel at home

The course is led by Kalinowski and Father Timothy Graff, archdiocesan Secretary for Parish Mission and Vitality and a board member of the International Association for Catholic Health Ministers.

“Within our parishes, we want all people living on the margins to feel at home,” Father Graff said. “People want their faith communities to be a place to meet the Risen Christ and accept the new life that He invites them to. Mental Health Ministries make that a reality for so many people.”

After completion of the course, the Office of Family Life works with parishes to provide further training for facilitators and to help establish mental health ministries.

The Sanctuary Course is offered twice a year in the Archdiocese of Newark. The spring/summer 7-course session, which costs $45, starts on Monday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Each session is 90 minutes long. The criteria for participation can be found on the sign-up page.

According to Kalinowski, the program is already “opening up the doors and windows” of parishes across the archdiocese to a problem that has been ignored for too long.

Father Graff credits Pope Francis for making that possible and hopes the program will become one of his lasting legacies in the archdiocese.

“What better way to honor the spirit of Pope Francis than to have mental health ministries in our parishes?” Father Graff said.

For more information about mental health ministry and the facilitator training program, visit the Archdiocese of Newark’s Mental Health Ministry page or email familylife@rcan.org.