May as Mental Health Awareness Month frames a conversation with Father Alan Wielinski and Deb Forstner of the Pelican Valley ACC. They discuss why mental health ministry belongs in parish life, addressing stigma, normalizing conversation and integrating faith's gifts of hope and community.

The team's efforts include a suicide prevention remembrance and healing Mass, faith formation presentations on bullying, weekly "mental health minutes" in bulletins and emails, a Mental Health Novena, small-group learning using St. Dymphna's Playbook, a community resources brochure and an upcoming talk by psychiatrist Dr. David Mach.

They encourage education, prayer intentions and using resources such as 988, reminding listeners they are not alone and help is available.

The conversation with theologian Dr. Jessica Coblentz continues. Drawing from her book 'Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression,' she reframes depression as a "wilderness experience," reflecting on biblical stories of displacement and God's presence in suffering.

Dr. Coblentz takes a deeper look at the story of Hagar, highlighting how God often provides not dramatic rescues but "small mercies" for those living with depression. She also discusses the harm caused by stigma and simplistic religious explanations, encouraging greater understanding, accompaniment and mental health awareness.

Find 'Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression' through Liturgical Press in their Collegeville showroom or online at https://litpress.org/Products/8502/Dust-in-the-Blood?srsltid=AfmBOortONZ_8mO9SrEg1woMWaYnAwCd5yRz1VMOMKbMIslW8c7cKaGK

In this episode of Speaking of Faith from the Diocese of St. Cloud, Dr. Jessica Coblentz, a theology professor at Saint Mary's College and author of Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression published by Liturgical Press.

Dr. Coblentz's book provides framework for the conversation where she shares how a severe depressive episode in her twenties felt like a frightening identity shift, more than sadness, and how stigma and misconceptions can keep people from recognizing depression. Dr. Coblentz explains phenomenology as the careful study of lived experience, the countless stories of depression sufferers she studied and and introduces "unhomelikeness" to describe depression as feeling displaced into a foreign world. The conversation also explores findings on Christian "lay theologies" that blame sufferers or treat depression as sin, and a common Catholic view of suffering as divine instruction, noting how such messages can dishonor those who suffer from and do not survive depression.

In the next episode, the conversation continues with Dr. Coblentz exploring depression as a wilderness experience and how the story of Hagar, a woman from the Old Testament, provides new perspective into living a life with depression.

Find Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression, a book by Dr. Jessica Coblentz, at Liturgical Press.