Celebrating Life, Peace, Healing, and Creation in Our Diocese this October

Responding to the Increasing Mental Health Needs in Our Diocese

The expansion of our Diocese’s Mental Health Ministry is in response to the increasing need to work to overcome the stigma and discrimination that too often surround mental illness. This Catholic Charities-funded ministry has conducted training in nine of our parishes, which now have dedicated Mental Health Ministry teams. (Additional parishes will receive the training soon.) The teams are comprised of lay mental health ministers who provide support to all impacted by mental illness or substance abuse. 

The parish-based Mental Health Ministry teams create spaces where individuals feel safe to speak about their struggles, where stigma is replaced with compassion, and where hope and healing can begin. While these lay ministers are not mental health professionals, they are members of a caring, supportive faith community, offering psychological, spiritual, and social support through presence, prayer, and understanding.

As we prepare to observe World Mental Health Day on October 10, during Mental Health Awareness Week (October 5–11), I invite all in our Diocese to pray for those impacted by mental illness and substance abuse at two Masses I will celebrate.

• Saturday, October 11, at 4 p.m. at Corpus Christi Church, 324 Quaker Meeting House Road in East Sandwich
• Sunday, October 19, at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 327 Second Street in Fall River

The Masses will be offered for all who mourn the loss of a loved one to suicide, addiction, or mental illness, as well as for those who are themselves living with mental health or substance use challenges. Together, let us continue building communities of faith where every person, especially those carrying the burdens of mental illness or substance use, is welcomed, valued, and loved as a child of God.

Honoring (and Protecting) the Dignity of Every Human Life

October is Respect Life Month, a time to reflect more deeply on the God-given dignity of every human person. What does the Church teach about the sanctity of all human life? At the heart of our faith is the truth that all life is sacred, for every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. This belief calls us to defend and be an advocate for life at every stage from conception to natural death.

Living out this commitment requires more than words. We are called to action. Action through prayer, education, pastoral care, and advocating on public policy proposals. Do you want to deepen your commitment to protecting life? I invite you to contact our Family and Respect Life Office, which works tirelessly to guide and support our pro-life efforts. You can also visit the USCCB website to access several pro-life resources such as prayers, statements from the U.S. Bishops, and information on the Church’s position on topics such as abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.   

As part of our Respect Life Month observance, I want to remind you about two upcoming events: the Annual Respect Life Mass on Sunday, October 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. Then immediately after the Mass, the Annual Respect Life Conference will take place at White’s of Westport with a theme of “Ethics at the Beginning of Life.” The keynote speaker is  Dr. Joseph Meaney, a bioethicist who will explore the moral and ethical concerns of in vitro fertilization (IVF). (Registration for the Conference is required.)

Pope Leo XIV Calls for Rosary for Peace

Toward the end of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square last Wednesday, Pope Leo invited “everyone, every day of the coming month, to pray the Rosary for peace—personally, in the family, and in the community.” His appeal came after speaking with the pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza and hearing firsthand about the struggles of the people there and how the parish is offering them ongoing support.

October, a month traditionally devoted to the Rosary, is a fitting time for this call to prayer. Amid the ongoing violence in Gaza, Ukraine, and so many other places around the world, our global community stands in urgent need of prayers for lasting peace.

Celebrating Creation and St. Francis of Assisi

On Saturday, October 4, we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. This year’s feast is especially meaningful as we also mark the (approximately) 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, the hymn St. Francis composed in praise of God through creation. 

Do you recall another “Francis” who made care for all of God’s creation a hallmark of his ministry? Many believe that Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment and ecological conversion, is an echo of St. Francis’s Canticle.

In celebration of St. Francis, many parishes across our Diocese will host Blessings of the Pets. I am grateful to our priests for offering these celebrations, reminding us that caring for our pets is one of the many ways we honor the gifts of God’s creation.

Sincerely,

+Bishop da Cunha