There are many different articles that are addressing disabilities and mental health issues from a faith based perspective.  Seeing the work of Christ in this area as many in the Church all over the world are seeing requires us to be aware of what God is doing around the world and throughout the ages since bible times and through the lives of the saints even up to our times.  In addition we can see how various societies and cultures, including our western culture at large are integrating and better accepting and empowering people with disabilities.  These articles will demonstrate that this is not just to the world out there, but is in the heart of the Church as many priests and religious experience disability and  mental health challenges as well as laity.  These articles will help us get a bigger picture of what God is doing in the Church and the world in this arena!

8 Saints who were depressed, but never gave up
You might be surprised by some of the names on the list!

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a pastoral statement on people with disabilities that has lead to active ministries to and from people with disabilities and mental health conditions across the United States in 1978 the first year of the pontificate of St. John Paul II.  At St. Therese’s Vision for Disability Giftedness, a new ministry to and from the disabled founded by myself in 2016 (George Ayer, a man with disabilities and mental health challenges himself) in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada we are hoping to see these kinds of initiatives also implemented in Canada and internationally. 

I (George) am in the consulting process with my local Bishop Marcel on the best way to go about this in my own Diocese and consulting with others in Dioceses around Canada.  I believe that this document by the USCCB provides some excellent founding thoughts to consider in how we can best serve and be served by those with disabilities and mental health challenges in the Body of Christ the Church.  The document and the ministries in the US that have come out of it (more to come) also serve as a launching point for how to reach out to those in and outside the Church with disabilities and mental health challenges who need to experience the touch of Christ in their lives. 

In conclusion, let us consider that the term that has been coined for such outreach is the “New Evangelization” and at St. Therese’s Vision for Disability Giftedness we intend to continue to develop St. John Paul II’s desire for missionary outreach to and from this diverse population.  I recently concluded an online Catholic course called Disabilities and Parish Life: An Overview which I believe is going to be a great help in considering how to more effectively reach people with disabilities in the Church and make our parish and all aspects of our Faith life a more hospitable environment for the person with disabilities or mental health issues life in Christ!
 

Click here to travel offsite to this article that provides evidence that many of the great Saints did indeed have learning disabilities and other challenges.