Washington D.C., Oct 6, 2017 / 05:20 am
To recognize Mental Illness Awareness Week, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability held a teleconference prayer service offering those with mental illness, and their friends and family, communal and spiritual support.
"Our hope is simply to provide an opportunity for Catholics to pray together in a place of understanding, trust, and acceptance," an organizer for the event, Connie Rakitan, told CNA on Wednesday.
The prayer service took place on Oct. 3, which marked the National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding.
The service began with the song "Change my Heart, oh God," after which the group was invited to say together the serenity prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."