Reaching Out with Hospitality to Persons with Mental Illness

"For more than twenty years, I have worked as a psychiatrist in various settings, primarily with adults with severe and persistent mental illness. I have grown accustomed to the unusual comments or behaviors someone might have while in the midst of an exacerbation of a condition like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. I know that people with mental illness are far more likely to be the victims of violence than they are to be the perpetrators of it. But most importantly, I have met people who, even in the depths of severe depression or disabling psychosis, have shown deep faith and who have reflected back to me the image of God, in whose image they were created." 

- Thomas P. Welch, Pastoral Liturgy: May/June 2017