We all know someone who is struggling with mental-health issues. Whether it’s a family member or a neighbor or a friend, someone in your sphere battles depression or anxiety or unfounded fear. Perhaps someone you know lives with a mental-health condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or an eating disorder, or even struggles against the urge to commit suicide.

To raise awareness of mental-health issues and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health, in 2013, the World Health Association designated Oct. 10 “World Mental Health Day.” The U.S. bishops embraced the opportunity to join in prayer for people in need, launching the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign in 2023.

As the Catholic Mental Health Campaign kicks off in 2024, the bishops are leading a novena, beginning Oct. 10, the feast of St. Dymphna, patron of people suffering from mental illness. The novena will conclude Oct. 18, the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, patron of health care. While the “Novena for Mental Health” can be prayed at any time, the bishops note that it’s especially appropriate to pray with fellow Catholics beginning on World Mental Health Day.

Each day of the nine-day novena focuses upon a different saint, and each day reflects on a theme related to mental health, or a particular population significantly affected by mental-health challenges. Each day, participants in the novena are invited to read further, learning from videos, online courses, worship and liturgy resources, and Church documents. Each day, there are prayers that focus on a particular aspect of mental health.

DAY 1: Oct. 10. On this date, the Church remembers St. Dymphna, patron of persons suffering from mental and neurological disorders and illnesses, as well as mental-health professionals. Dymphna was an Irish princess who fled from her father, a man troubled by mental illness, but who was eventually found and martyred by her own father. The focus on this initial day of the novena is on “Removing Stigmas” — reflecting on our own beliefs about, and behavior toward, persons with mental problems.

DAY 2: Oct. 11. On this date, we pray to the Holy Family. Even Jesus, Mary and Joseph faced challenges, including unexpected problems, anxiety and suffering. Pope St. Paul VI, in his address at Nazareth on Jan. 5, 1964, reminded us that the intimacy of family life includes accompanying one another through suffering. The Holy Family’s life on earth, Pope Francis reminds us, gives us a model of love in the midst of suffering.

DAY 3: Oct. 12. On this date, we call upon St. John of God, who lived in Spain during the 15th century. St. John was diagnosed, perhaps wrongly, with mental illness and was sent to a psychiatric facility, where he experienced horrific treatment. He subsequently devoted himself to ministering to the poor, the sick and people living with mental illness. On this day, Catholics are invited to pray for the success of Catholic mental health ministry, which educates and informs parishes, dioceses and Catholic communities about the issues, struggles and joys that can be found in the lives of people living with a mental illness.

DAY 4: Oct. 13. On this date, the novena calls us to reflect on “Childhood” — specifically through the story of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who experienced great loss and great anxiety during childhood, since her mother died when she was only 4 years old. Statistics show that mental-health issues like depression and anxiety are more common today in small children, and we are called to model Christ’s peace to them and to teach them how to handle strong emotions.

DAY 5: Oct. 14. The focus for this day of the novena is “Youth and Young Adults.” St. Kateri Tekakwitha is a good example for young people: She was orphaned when her parents and brother died of smallpox, and she was left with impaired eyesight and scarred facial features. Despite her difficult childhood, she embraced the Catholic faith in her late teenage years. In today’s culture, teens and young people are often faced with severe loneliness, in part because of social media; but the Catholic Church stands ready to embrace them.

DAY 6: Oct. 15. On the sixth day of the novena, Catholics focus on the potentially negative effects of racial discrimination” on mental health. As an example of someone who overcame racism, we look to St. Martin de Porres, who grew up impoverished in Peru, experiencing stigma and intergenerational trauma most of his life. We are invited to reflect on our attitudes toward people of other races and backgrounds and to help ensure that all people are accorded the respect they deserve as children of God.

DAY 7: Oct. 16. “Poverty and Mental Health” is the focus on the seventh day of the novena; the faithful are invited to look to St. Teresa of Calcutta for inspiration. Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa devoted her life to serving the poor. Statistically, people living in poverty are disproportionately impacted by serious mental illness.

DAY 8: Oct. 17. On the eighth day of the novena, the focus is on “Suicide Awareness.” Inspiration is drawn from the life and the love of Servant of God Dorothy Day, who attempted suicide twice as a young woman; and she had deep empathy for those who struggle with suicidal thoughts and those who grieve the suicide death of a loved one. Day kept a prayer book in which she wrote the names of people who had died by suicide. The prayer for that day is for all who have died by their own hand and all who love them; but also for government officials, that they might implement effective laws, policies and funding for mental health care and suicide-prevention programs.

DAY 9: Oct. 18. This closing day of the novena is devoted to the issue of “Grief”; and as an example of a holy person who struggled with grief, the novena names St. Jane Frances de Chantal. Her mother died when she was just a small child; and she later suffered the deaths of her husband, son, daughter-in-law and son-in-law. Despite her great sorrow, she lived a faithful and fruitful Christian life.

The novena concludes on the feast day of St. Luke, who is called the “beloved physician” in Colossians 4:14. In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, he refers to Jesus’ command to his apostles: “He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” That is our goal, too, as we seek to heal the hurt and the damage caused by mental-health conditions.

PRAY

The U.S. bishops’ “Novena for Mental Health” can be found online as a PowerPoint presentation, available to all.