During Mental Health Month, we share the testimony of Sr. Mary Ann Curitmatmat, from the Delegation of England, who invites us to reflect on hospitality as a path of hope and healing. From her experience as a Sister Hospitaller, she reminds us that caring for mental health is also a way of living the Gospel — by welcoming, accompanying, and restoring dignity to every person who suffers.
“As a Sister Hospitaller, I have come to understand that true hospitality is not only about opening the doors of our centers, but about opening our hearts to the mystery and dignity of every person who suffers. Through our charism, we are called to be witnesses of God’s infinite mercy (Const. 3).”
Hospitality: a Path of Hope in Service of Mental Health” is not only the theme for this year; in many ways, it is a journey lived through faith and the witness of service, mercy, love, and dedication — as shown by our Founders, St. Benedict Menni, María Josefa Recio, and María Angustias Giménez, and by the entire Hospitaller Family around the world. In a way, it also sums up my own Hospitaller vocational journey.
A lo largo de los años he tenido la gracia de encontrarme y acompañar a personas que viven con un profundo sufrimiento mental. La hospitalidad no comienza con las palabras, sino con una mirada misericordiosa, una presencia, un corazón abierto. He intentado —y sigo intentando— vivir la hospitalidad como apertura, escucha, cercanía y acogida, imitando el ejemplo del buen samaritano en la Biblia. Las personas a las que servimos necesitan, ante todo, sentirse valoradas y dignificadas.
To walk the path of hospitality means embracing the mission of being with the person — of accompanying them. It goes beyond the professional care we provide: it is about sharing the journey of those who struggle, respecting their dignity, and walking beside them with patience, tenderness, and compassion. It is not only about healing but about creating spaces of trust where each person feels safe to rediscover their identity and worth.
Although my current responsibilities are in the administrative field, I try to ensure that every decision I make is rooted in our charism: to welcome, to heal, and to restore dignity to those living with mental illness and in need of our care
Over time, I have seen that mental health is both a deeply human and spiritual journey. I have witnessed how a warm welcome, a respectful environment, and a nonjudgmental presence can slowly transform pain into hope. When hospitality is lived in its deepest sense, it becomes a path toward healing.This journey has shown me that hope is not an empty promise, but a seed that can take root when nourished by simple gestures: listening without interrupting, naming without labeling, accompanying without controlling.
Hope begins to grow when people discover that their pain neither disqualifies nor defines them, that they are worthy of love even in their fragility, and that they are not alone.
Today, more than ever, awareness of mental health is a Gospel imperative, an urgent call to all. Sometimes we cannot cure — but we can care. And that care can rekindle the desire to live with dignity.
For me, hospitality is a sign of hope and a path of transformation. Every encounter with someone who suffers is an invitation to purify my own heart and grow in compassion. I discover that, as we offer hope to others, we too are healed. This intimate experience of healing gives us the capacity to heal others. The words of Jesus — “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me” — confirm that it is He who waits for and receives our hospitality (Const. 16). The hospitality we live each day with others — with the sisters, the staff, the volunteers, and the families of those we serve — is not simply a strategy: it is an act of faith in a compassionate God.
This year’s theme, “Hospitality: A Path of Hope in Service of Mental Health,” resonates deeply with me. In a world where so many live in silence, facing anxiety, depression, or loneliness, offering hope may be the greatest gift we can give. And hope does not always appear in great gestures — it is found in a kind word, a sincere smile, in the quiet assurance that “you belong here; your life matters.”
Creo que hablar abiertamente sobre la salud mental es una forma de compasión. Cuando rompemos el silencio y rechazamos el estigma, creamos espacio para la sanación. He visto transformaciones: personas que llegan con miedo, vergüenza o heridas profundas, y que con el tiempo comienzan a reconstruir su sentido de sí mismas porque son acogidas con cuidado, respeto y presencia. Estos pequeños milagros cotidianos me recuerdan por qué dije “sí” a esta vocación.
Este año también es el Jubileo de la Esperanza, un tiempo de gracia para comenzar de nuevo. Para mí, eso significa ser testigos y portadoras de una esperanza que no defrauda. No una esperanza superficial o idealista, sino aquella que nace del encuentro con el sufrimiento y lo abraza con amor. La hospitalidad, para mí, es un encuentro sagrado donde renace la esperanza. Transmitir esta esperanza significa afirmar que hay un futuro posible, que el dolor no tiene la última palabra. Es un recordatorio de que Dios nunca abandona, que en medio de la fragilidad siempre hay una oportunidad para crecer y sanar.
To those who may be struggling with their mental health: your life has deep meaning, and you are never alone. There are people, communities, and hearts ready to walk with you, to listen, and to help you rediscover light amid the darkness. Do not let the light of hope go out: God always hears the cry of those who call upon Him.
As a Sister Hospitaller, I feel deeply grateful to be part of this path of hospitality. Each person we welcome is a gift, and every story entrusted to us is an opportunity to make love a home where life can flourish.
