Have you heard about Rutilio Grande, S.J.? His story is a powerful reminder that mental-health care is part of holistic Faith.
As this article explains, Father Grande experienced serious mental health crises, received professional treatment, and recovered, yet his witness of pastoral courage & solidarity never diminished.
He now emerges as a model of how the Church might embrace mental-wellness not as something to hide or spiritualize away, but as something to accompany with compassion and care.
What touched me most:
• The fact that some communities struggled at the time to fully see mental-illness as something treatable. Something that deserves both prayer and professional care.
• That Father Grande’s recovery was possible only because people cared for his whole person: his mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
• The call to action: to build a church (and a culture) where no one is ashamed to seek help. Where mental-health issues aren’t a disqualification from vocation, service, or holiness.
If you’re in a place of struggle, physically, emotionally, spiritually, may this reminder bring hope: seeking help is part of faith, and you are not alone.
Read more: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/01/19/rutilio-grande-mental-health-treatment-242227/