Friday, May. 12, 2023
IC photo/Marie Mischel
Bishop Oscar A. Solis addresses the priests of the Diocese of Salt Lake City during their annual Spring Convocation, where they were taught about healthy living by Sister of Mercy Sister Mercedes McCann, PhD.
SALT LAKE CITY — Diocesan priests gathered May 3 at St. Vincent de Paul Parish’s Benvegnu Center for their annual Spring Convocation, a time of fellowship and ongoing formation. The speaker for the day was Sister of Mercy Sister Mercedes McCann, PhD, who works for the Saint John Vianney Center in Pennsylvania. The center serves Catholic clergy and religious men and women, as well as other Christian clergy. A psychotherapist for 15 years for the center’s inpatient program, Sr. Mercedes now serves in the position of leadership relations in the center’s Consultation, Education, and Outreach Department. The topic of her presentation was healthy living.
Father Martin Diaz, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and chairman of the diocesan board for ongoing formation for priests, said the topic was chosen by his board, and Father Cody Jorgensen, OP, director of campus ministry at St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center had recommended Sr. Mercedes after hearing a presentation she gave to the Western Dominican Province.
Sr. Mercedes focused on the areas of physical, emotional and spiritual health “because I think probably they impact our lives the most,” she said.
She began with a definition from the World Health Organization: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing. It is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Noting that studies show that American men are less like to be healthy than women, “It behooves you to be really careful about your health not only for yourself but also for all of those folks with whom and for whom you minister,” she told the priests.
Some of the suggestions she gave priests were to have a balanced diet, to sleep at least seven hours a night and to get between two and a half to four and a half hours of physical exercise per week, all of which contribute to healthy living. Physical exercise helps boost resiliency to the ill-effects of stress, and enough sleep helps strengthen the immune system, she said.
She also gave several hints. For example, she acknowledged that with their schedules the priests might not be able to devote a full hour in a day to exercise, so they could take 15 minutes a couple of times a day.
Another hint she gave to relieve stress was to take a deep breath, hold it for a couple of seconds, then let it out forcefully. “All of that can help you with self-care because as you’re concentrating on your breathing – which normally we take for granted – as you’re concentrating, you’re forgetting maybe some of the stressors in your life or the things that are interfering with good physical care,” she said.
She also warned the priests of the danger of compassion fatigue, which is when “the helper is taking on the stress of the person that they’re there to help,” to the detriment of the helper. To avoid this, priests need to set strong personal boundaries and encourage others to take responsibility for themselves, she said.
“If you’re taking home the problems of the parish, the problems of individual people day after day after day, you’re going to suffer from compassion fatigue, and it’s going to do you in, in the end,” she said.
A strong spiritual life also is important for good mental health, she said, and suggested that the priests take “Sabbath time” throughout the day, moments to focus not on responsibilities but rather to be mindful of God’s presence. Spiritual reading and prayer groups are good ways to strengthen a spiritual life, she said.
At the end of the presentation, Bishop Oscar A. Solis, who attended the convocation, said he appreciated Sr. Mercedes’ talk. “In order to be able to carry out the ministry efficiently and faithfully” priests need to have good health of body, mind and spiritual life, he said. “The healthier we are, the more able we are to carry out our sacred ministry and responsibility.”
