EMITSBURG – Deacon Ed Schoener spoke to more than 200 people at the St. Elizabeth Ann Mental Wellness Retreat on May 15 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton National Cathedral in Emmitsburg. He noted that Seaton faces his own challenges dealing with the inevitable. stress of life.
These included the death of her mother at an early age, the death of her husband, and her children’s struggles with alcoholism and addiction.
“I think Mother Seton is very relatable,” said Deacon Schoener, president of the Catholic Mental Health Ministries Association. “She was a real human being. She knew what it meant to suffer and struggle and to find her hope. Elizabeth Ann Seton had great anxiety.”
Deacon Schoener’s daughter Katie (Kathleen) was also a real person, and she ended her struggle with bipolar disorder when she took her own life in 2016, he said. They both became “celebrities” thanks to her obituary, which he wrote for her. The message was spread that people should not be called in sick.
The mental wellness retreat was the second phase of Archbishop William E. Lori’s mission to address mental health needs in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
In the first phase, approximately 1,000 people were trained in mental health first aid in 2022.
During the retreat, participants were able to choose from several breakout sessions, including topics such as supporting people with mental illness and how to start a parish mental health ministry.
“Mental health issues affect us all,” Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, CSR, said in his homily during the event’s Mass. “You are not alone. Jesus is the friend of all people.”
The bishop said Jesus is concerned about the health and well-being of all people and is concerned about everything people experience in a “fast-paced and highly stressful world.” Bishop Lewandowski said it’s important to go out into the outside world and let people know that even in the “deepest, darkest places” of their existence, God loves them and they are not alone. He said that.
Many people gathered for Deacon Schoener’s session on how to start a mental health ministry in your parish. He recommended his team of at least three people work together to present a plan to the pastor and then to the congregation. He said the team should also learn about local mental health resources and educate parishioners about mental health by hosting speakers and discussions.
Deacon Schoener also stressed the importance of “knowing your boundaries” rather than advising on medications or treatments.
“You are not a therapist or a counselor,” he said. “You can love people, pray with them, and provide them with a support system. There’s a lot you can do. It’s not complicated.”
Megan Markus has suffered from generalized anxiety disorder since she was a teenager and knows others who suffer from it. She is a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist in Hythe and said she had never thought of asking the church community for help, but now she wants to.
“Our community is a little older and has a different mindset,” Markus said. “It’s not that easy to break people’s hearts. I want to work for that. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Marx’s fellow parishioner Marta Schumacher attended the retreat to help others. A member of her family has anxiety, and many of her children’s friends “have issues,” she said.
When his sister-in-law died by suicide, Schumacher’s mother asked what she would tell people.
“I said I would tell the truth,” Schumacher said. “It might help someone else.”
Glenn Schultz, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church in Hagerstown, had come there because one of his relatives had mental health issues. The withdrawal was a positive way to “open the door,” he said.
“This is a great starting point,” Schultz said. “Good mental health benefits your mental and physical health in the long run. All three are connected.”
In his closing remarks, Deacon Schoener encouraged everyone to “shine a light in the darkness.”
“People need to know they can rely on the parish community,” he says. “They need to know that their parish community will not abandon them. People with mental illness are courageous people. They deserve our respect. They carry a very heavy cross. They don’t want our pity. They want what everyone wants, to be loved and respected.”
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