Faith, Hope, and Healing: Bishop John Dolan & Meg Kissinger's Journey Through Mental Health
4Bishop John Dolan recently hosted acclaimed author and reporter Meg Kissinger at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in downtown Phoenix. Kissinger spent more than two decades traveling across the country writing about America’s mental health system for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, she released a book this past fall titled, "While You Were Out: An Intimate Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence."
In December of 2022, Bishop Dolan opened the first-ever office for Mental Health Ministry in the Diocese of Phoenix. The office focuses on three areas of mental health: education, accompaniment of those suffering, and advocacy for better policy and funding from the government and other sources. In addition, the diocese has established regular gathering spaces, known as the "well," where people can share their stories and lean on one another.
“I’m here to say as a bishop, as a fellow survivor of suicide loss, that we can’t go it alone. We have to walk together,” said Bishop Dolan, a native of San Diego. “I want people to know that the Church is here to accompany those who are survivors of suicide loss, to let them know that they are not alone in this, and that they have a place at the table. We will be there for them. People should not live in shame or guilt.”
Check out this video of Bishop John and Kissinger discussing their books and similar family stories on mental illness and their loss of loved ones by suicide.
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