U.S. Bishops' Novena for Mental Health Concludes October 18, as Mental Health Is Named an 'Urgent Pastoral Challenge'
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced in an October 10 press release the 2026 start of its annual Novena for Mental Health, running October 10–18 and concluding on October 18, the feast of St. Luke, the evangelist and a patron of healthcare. The USCCB noted that in 2026 the feast is superseded on the Roman calendar by the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The nine days of prayer and reflection focus on various aspects of mental health and its impact. The novena was introduced in 2023 during the launch of the USCCB's National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, currently spearheaded by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, and Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas. The USCCB also pointed to the novena as an invitation for parishes to participate in Mental Health Sunday, an October 11 observance established by the bishops as part of the campaign. Prayers and reflections in English and Spanish are available at usccb.org/mental-health-novena, and the bishops directed those interested in forming a mental health ministry to usccb.org/mentalhealth and to resources from the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers and Catholic Charities USA.
The bishops renewed their commitment to an issue the Vatican has named an 'urgent pastoral challenge,' noting it affects more than 1 billion people globally and at least 1 in 5 people in the U.S. every year. The USCCB promoted the October 10 World Mental Health Day message of Sister Alessandra Smerilli, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who stressed that 'no psychological wound can ever erase the dignity of a human person.'
Source: Compiled from the USCCB press release (October 10) and OSV News reporting.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：堂区祈祷空间内的蜡烛（资料图）。图片来源：洛杉矶总教区官网（lacatholics.org）。Photo: Candles in a parish prayer space (file photo). Image: Archdiocese of Los Angeles official website.
