St Oscar Romero Parish Mental Health Ministry

05/30/2026

UPCOMING MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY SCHEDULE:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I pray you are all enjoying this beautiful warm weather and all of the beauty that God's creations offer us!
For the last two weeks we have been revisiting the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics" and have had a great participation! Each session is "independent" covering a separate mental health topic and is designed to raise awareness regarding mental health - so you can join us any time! This 8-video series highlights people with lived experience and demonstrates meaningful ways that our Church faithful can offer companionship, support recovery, and promote wellbeing. You can review a short video trailer for the “Sanctuary Course for Catholics" by going to this link:
https://share.google/EsIpoXjibauLWZsnZ

For those of you who missed the 2nd video last week, where we heard from Kasey who battles anxiety and depression (and suffering), the link to the video for your viewing pleasure follows:
https://portal.sanctuarymentalhealth.org/the-sanctuary-course-for-catholics/session-2

Next Monday, June 1, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room we will continue session 3 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 3 you will meet Hillary who suffered from depression (and later also from postpartum depression).

Monday, June 8, 2026, THERE WILL BE NO MHM meeting because of previous commitments.

Monday, June 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 4 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 4 you will meet Simone who suffered from schizophrenia (a very complex biochemical brain disorder that can impact how a person thinks, feels, communicates, and perceives reality; and that often includes psychosis).

Monday, June 22, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 5 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 5 you will meet Augustina who lives with depression. This film is not graphic. But it does reference suicidal thoughts. It is a dynamic process constantly changing and progressing. But it also speaks to recovery and how it is a self-determined and holistic journey that people undertake to heal and grow that is supported by positive support through relationships and environments.

Monday, June 29, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 6 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 6 you will meet Lisa who lives with BiPolar 2 disorder and has experienced episodes of psychosis - a temporary loss of contact with reality due to hallucinations or delusions. Her story illustrates the importance of friendship and companionship.

DURING THE MONTH OF JULY, THERE WILL BE NO MHM MEETINGS - due to many people taking vacations. Meetings will resume on August 3rd.

Monday, August 3, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 7 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 7 you will meet Katrina who lives with BiPolar 2 disorder. Her story illustrates the importance of self-care, boundaries, and self-compassion. She tells us about the unique stresses and challenges faced by caregivers and her story will reflect on the theological implications of self-care.

Monday, August 10, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will conclude the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In the final video # 8 you will meet Brian who has experienced post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder triggered by the experience of TRAUMA and characterized by unwanted memories and flashbacks, heightened physical or emotional reactions, and negative changes in mood. This film is not graphic but it references military experience and Su***de.

IMPORTANT REMINDER - If you are in a volunteer role of any kind and do not already have active "safe environment clearances," in order to take an active MH Ministry role, please call Rosemary at the Church Office to accomplish getting these clearances ASAP. This LINK takes you directly to the Volunteers section on the Diocese site to apply for clearances! https://diopitt.org/parish-volunteers

God bless you,
Jonna, Murph and Jeanie

The Sanctuary Course for Catholics is a free resource designed for parishes to explore the connection between mental health and faith.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17c8adPUDv/

05/25/2026

View Jane Ellen Mikuta's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 1 tribute posts from the community.

05/25/2026

We are very sad to tell you that we lost one of our long-time Ministry members. She and her sister Becky Coulter were regular supporters of our SORP MH Ministry. Rest in peace sweet Janie, we know you are with Jesus. Please keep them both and their families in your prayers for comfort.

Celebrate the life of Jane Mikuta (1956-2026) from Washington, PA. Read their obituary, share memories, and express condolences.

05/16/2026

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
At last week's meeting we restarted the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics" and had a great meeting and good discussions. Even if you miss one of these sessions, please come and join us, as each session is independent about a separate mental health topic. This series is designed to raise awareness and start conversations with the church faithful regarding mental health. This 8-video series was created in consultation with mental health professionals, theologians, and people with lived experience, to help faith organizations to explore and study key mental health topics, and examine meaningful ways to offer companionship, support recovery, and promote wellbeing. You can review a short video trailer for the “Sanctuary Course for Catholics" by going to this link:
https://share.google/EsIpoXjibauLWZsnZ

For those of you who missed the 1st video session last week, where we heard from Matthew who suffers from anxiety, depression, generalized obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the link to the video for your viewing pleasure follows: https://share.google/yhs2LNI7uYaXxFTHt

Monday, May 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue with session 2 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 2 you will meet Kasey who battles anxiety and depression (and suffering).

Sunday, May 24, 2026, we will have A SPECIAL MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY MASS at 9:30 am at Miraculous Medal Church. – We know this is Labor Day weekend but, we would love to have a great showing of members attending and participating!! We will try to reserve a couple of pews towards the front left side so we can sit together. As Parishioners arrive at the front entrance – Fran and Murph will tell people about writing the first names of people being remembered as "Suffering from Serious Mental Illness" or "Those Lost by Su***de," on "post it notes" and placing them on our "prayer boards."

Monday, May 25, 2026, there will be NO MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY Meeting due to the Labor Day Holiday.

Monday, June 1, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 3 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 3 you will meet Hillary who suffered from depression (and later also from post-partum depression).

Thursday - Saturday, June 4-6, 2026, the Global Catholic Mental Health Ministry Conference will be held in Washington, DC at the Catholic University of America. (We plan to participate online via their webinair attendance.)

Monday, June 8, 2026, THERE WILL BE NO MHM meeting because of previous commitments.

Monday, June 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 4 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 4 you will meet Simone who suffered from schizophrenia (a very complex biochemical brain disorder that can impact how a person thinks, feels, communicates, and perceives reality; and that often includes psychosis).

Monday, June 22, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 5 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 5 you will meet Augustina who lives with depression. This film is not graphic. But it does reference suicidal thoughts. It is a dynamic process constantly changing and progressing. But it also speaks to recovery and how it is self-determined and holistic journey that people undertake to heal and grow that is supported by positive support through relationships and environments.

Monday, June 29, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 6 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 6 you will meet Lisa who lives with BiPolar 2 disorder and has experienced episodes of psychosis - a temporary loss of contact with reality due to hallucinations or delusions. Her story illustrates the importance of friendship and companionship.

DURING THE MONTH OF JULY, THERE WILL BE NO MHM MEETINGS - due to many people taking vacations. Meetings will resume on August 3rd.

Monday, August 3, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue session 7 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 7 you will meet Katrina who lives with BiPolar 2 disorder. Her story illustrates the importance of self-care, boundaries, and self-compassion. She tells us about the unique stresses and challenges faced by caregivers and her story will reflect on the theological implications of self-care.

Monday, August 10, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will conclude the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In the final video # 8 you will meet Brian who has experienced post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder triggered by the experience of TRAUMA and characterized by unwanted memories and flashbacks, heightened physical or emotional reactions, and negative changes in mood. This film is not graphic but it references military experience and Su***de.

THE FOLLOWING ARE NEW OUTREACH ACTIVITIES WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING. If you are interested in helping with any of these activities, please let us know:

1) Mental Health Ministry Evangelization (outside of our Parish) - to spread word about the importance of faithful Mental Health Ministries and how WE ALL CAN help. We decided that ONCE A MONTH someone from our ministry will volunteer to speak at another Church (Catholic and Non-Catholic) to accomplish this. Teresa Gleason has graciously volunteered to help coordinate this effort. If you want to speak, or want to recommend a Church to speak at, please let Teresa know!

2) Establishing a MHM Prayer List - We discussed starting this "Prayer Tree" for our members or the people they support. Pamela Artmen has volunteered to coordinate this effort. It was suggested by Teresa that we begin our weekly meetings with this list of prayer intentions along with our opening prayer. As soon as we work out the process details we will pass them down to you. We already have a huge list of first names of people for our prayer lists from those attained at the last 2 yrs Mental Health Masses. In the meantime, if you want our group to pray for a special intention or someone, special please feel free to send a note back to us at our Ministry email at: [email protected]

3) Establishing an Accompaniment Phone Tree - we talked about how "walking with" and "prayerful accompaniment" is at the basis of our Ministry. We discussed setting up a phone tree of 5-6 (revolving) Ministry members who could reach out every month (to different members) to say hello, pray with them, and just check-in on, our existing members and invite them to come to our meetings. Many people suffer from loneliness and we have made these calls in the past. We are still figuring out the details on how to share this outreach effort with other members. If you want to help with this, please get back to us.

4) Establishing a PUPPET MINISTRY in an effort to try and bring some faith-filled mental health awareness and well-being (self-care) skills to the YOUTH of our Parish. We had hoped to begin this at the SORP Summer Faith and Fun Week 2026 (VBS) but unfortunately they already have a full program and not enough time to include us. Our goal is to bring Mental Health and well being to our youth (they are never alone as God loves them and is with them always). The program and scripts I've already developed also touch on anti-bullying, being kind to others (including animals, like St. Francis), helping each other, grounding techniques, self-care, learning how to pray, the Eucharist, AND spend quiet time with Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration). If you have any thoughts on how we might utilize this - let us know!

IMPORTANT REMINDER - If you do not already have active "safe environment clearances" to take an active MH Ministry role, please call Rosemary Mastrangelo at the Church Office to accomplish this ASAP. This LINK takes you directly to the Volunteers section on the Diocese site to apply for clearances!
https://diopitt.org/parish-volunteers

God bless you,
Jonna, Murph and Jeanie

Unsure whether you have an existing account? Call the Office for Compliance at 412-456-3093. If your record exists, we will provide you with login information.

05/11/2026

We have a lot going on because MAY is Mental Health Month and with new Outreach Activities we are persuing!

May 4-10 is Maternal Mental Health week. This short Sanctuary video is very hopeful and I hope it brings faithful comfort to some of you who might have suffered from post-partum depression!

https://youtu.be/8jxugRJXRIM?si=hom49FEvVH-GDZta

At today's Mental Health Meeting -- Monday, May 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will restart the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." This 8-week series is designed to raise awareness and start conversations with the church faithful regarding mental health. The 8-videos were created in consultation with mental health professionals, theologians, and people with lived experience, to help faith organizations to explore and study key mental health topics, and examine meaningful ways to offer companionship, support recovery, and promote wellbeing. In this 1st video session, you will meet Matthew who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

You can review a short video trailer for the “Sanctuary Course for Catholics" by going to this link:
https://share.google/EsIpoXjibauLWZsnZ

Monday, May 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick's Center Dining Room - we will continue with session 2 of the very faithful and informative "Sanctuary Course for Catholics." In video # 2 you will meet Kasey who battles anxiety and depression (and suffering).

Sunday, May 24, 2026, we will have A SPECIAL MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY MASS at 9:30 am at Miraculous Medal Church. – We know this is Labor Day weekend but, we would love to have a great showing of members attending and participating!! We will try to reserve a couple of pews towards the front left side so we can sit together.

Monday, May 25, 2026, there will be NO MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY Meeting due to the Labor Day Holiday.

The Sanctuary Course for Catholics is a free resource designed for parishes to explore the connection between mental health and faith.

05/11/2026

Welcome springtime! Let's get out there and practice self-care since MAY is Mental Health Month! At our May 4th meeting, we concluded our session about Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We learned a lot, and had some great discussions! For those of you who requested, the links to the 4 videos we watched - they follow for your information:

"Are you a narcissist? 8 common traits of narcissism" - Katie Morton (12 min: 48 sec)

https://youtu.be/cwuzgfFgLTM?si=FFiZJPzbXZNlsml0

MedCircle - "Understanding a Narcissist (the psychology of a narcissist)" Dr Ramani (14min:14 sec)

https://youtu.be/J4yraZiJ9D8?si=bWrd2jpxMfQMv1vX

MedCircle "Narcissism - nature or nurture" Dr Ramani (16 min 34 sec)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyF0Oeamih8

"5 clues to spot a Christian narcissist" Kris Reese (24 min 01 sec)

https://youtu.be/U_yVi6MX1Is?si=0c8HQ62HtqwDskR6

39K likes, 4.7K comments. "Are you a narcissist? 8 common traits of narcissism"

02/06/2026

DEPRESSION TIPS:

Shower. Not a bath, a shower.
Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you need to.

Moisturize everything.
Use whatever lotion you like.
Unscented? Dollar store lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire skin.

Put on clean, comfortable clothes.
Put on your favorite underwear.
Those ridiculous boxers you bought last christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.

Drink cold water.
Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

Clean something.
Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music.
Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food.
Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something.
Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.

Go outside.
Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone.
Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.

Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them.
Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.

May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.

*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.
*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

Find something to be grateful for!

May I please get 2 friends or family members to copy and re-post? I am trying to demonstrate that someone is always listening.

***deAwareness






Just two. Any two. Say done.

Someone is happy because you exist ♥️