The first-ever Vatican conference on mental health, which took place on Monday at the Vatican’s media headquarters, Palazzo Pio, brought together leading figures from the Catholic world committed to addressing the growing global mental health issue. Participants included Vatican officials, members of Deacon Shoener’s Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (based in the United States), and representing our Congregation, Sister Isabel Canton, along with other activists working on the front lines in Moldova, India, South Africa and elsewhere.
The conference was a testament to the Catholic Church’s commitment to addressing mental health concerns, a priority driven by the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, which has been in conversation with local Churches around the world to address this growing challenge.
In this context, Sister Isabel Canton shared her experience of more than 50 years on the field of Mental Health in the UK, where the congregation has three residential homes for the elderly, caring for the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the residents. She highlighted the challenges facing the congregation today, such as the decline in the number of priests and religious sisters, the need to adapt spiritual care to a diverse context and the shortage of trained pastoral workers.
Sister Isabel also called on the Church to welcome and listen to people with mental illness, welcoming them as “companions on pilgrimage”. She highlighted our 143-year commitment to providing holistic care for the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the residents.
The conference culminated with a prayer to St. John of God, founder of the order to which St. Benedict Menni belonged, who founded our Congregation in 1881.
In a world where mental health is a growing concern, we Sisters Hospitallers celebrate this conference on mental health in the Church and reaffirm our commitment to the service of those who suffer, advocating for hospital care in line with the teaching of our founders.
You can read the Vatican News article on this topic here: https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2024-01/salute-mentale-conferenza-vaticano.htm
