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Our Mission -
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The Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (CMHM) is a Lay Association of the Christian Faithful whose members are called to be a healing presence in the lives of people with mental illness. Members of the CMHM see Christ in those who live with a mental illness. Members practice a ministry of service and presence; like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), they do not look the other way or walk past those living with a mental illness but instead pour the oil and wine of the Gospel into their lives. Members walk with people living with a mental illness to help them find the support and services that they need.
We see persons living with a mental illness as unique individuals who are not defined by their illness. They have much to offer the Church and the community because living with an illness gives them unique insights into suffering, humility, compassion, friendship and love. We work to eliminate the stigma and discrimination that people living with a mental illness encounter in the Church and in human society.
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Members of the CMHM are inspired by Pope St. John Paul II, who wrote:
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“Christ took all human suffering on himself; even mental illness . . . whoever suffers from mental illness “always” bears God’s image and likeness in himself, as does every human being. In addition, he “always” has the inalienable right not only to be considered as an image of God and therefore as a person, but also to be treated as such.”
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“It is everyone’s duty to make an active response: our actions must show that mental illness does not create insurmountable distances, nor prevent relations of true Christian charity with those who are its victims. Indeed, it should inspire a particularly attentive attitude towards these people who are fully entitled to belong to the category of the poor to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs (cf. Mt 5:3).”
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We entrust our mission to Our Lady. Our Lady of Lourdes is a special patroness for healing. May Our Lady guide us so that those who live with a mental illness will know that they are surrounded by her and her Son’s healing presence and remember that they are never alone.
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How We Help
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CMHM members see persons living with a mental illness as unique individuals who are not defined by their illness. They have much to offer the Church and the community because living with an illness gives them unique insights into suffering, humility, compassion, friendship and love. CMHM members work to eliminate the stigma and discrimination that people living with a mental illness encounter in the Church and in human society.
We hope to make mental health ministry an integral ministry in the Church that is available in every Catholic parish and community throughout the world as we serve:
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People living with a mental illness
We provide spiritual support to people living with a mental illness to assist them to live in holiness. We encourage actions to prevent any discrimination that would prevent them from full participation in the life of the Church.
We do not provide diagnosis, counseling, treatment, medical assistance or behavioral health support, but instead may provide assistance in helping people living with a mental illness find treatment and medical services in their community.
Families of those suffering
To the parents, family members and friends of people living with a mental illness, we provide spiritual support and comfort in their efforts to care for and help their loved ones.
We do not provide diagnosis, counseling, treatment, medical assistance or behavioral health support, but instead they may provide assistance in helping find additional educational and other support services to aid in their understanding of mental illness.
Clergy and Ministers
To clergy and other ministers in the Church, we provides the tools, methods and insights that allow them to confidently minister to people with a mental illness without fear or prejudice.
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A Greater Vision
To the wider Church, we work to educate and inform people about the issues, struggles and joys that can be found in people living with a mental illness. We witness a strong and authentic communion with the pope and the local bishop and will operate and participate in the Church’s apostolic goals, with a particular focus on those goals directed towards ministering to people living with a mental illness.
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