Ed Shoener: “La mejor prevención en salud mental, saberse comprendidos y amados”

Deacon Ed Shoener is in Rome for a meeting titled "A Healing Presence: The Church's Call to Mental Health Ministry." The event is organized by the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers in collaboration with the Don Luigi Di Liegro International Foundation and the Red Mundial de Oración del Papa, with sponsorship from the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Shoener co-founded the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers after his daughter, Katie, died by suicide in 2016. Following the viral spread of Katie's obituary, Shoener received tens of thousands of messages from people stating that the Catholic Church offers little pastoral support to those with mental illnesses and their families.

During this time in Rome, Pope Leo XIV has invited the faithful to pray this month for the integration of mental health ministry throughout the Church. Shoener stated that feeling understood and loved serves as the best long-term prevention for mental health issues.