Emotional & Spiritual Care

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every affair under the heavens. […] A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4).

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"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him." - Psalm 40:1-3 

Request A Stephen Minister
Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one lay caring ministry providing high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people experiencing loss or dramatic changes in their lives.  A Care Receiver is a St. Mary's parishioner over 18 going through difficult life changes who would like a person to listen and pray with them.

• The relationship between a Care Receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential – only the Care Coordinator and your Stephen Minister know your name.
• Men are matched with men; women with women.
• Stephen Ministers are trained to listen and assist you. While we are not counselors, we are able to fill a very special role to help you through tough times.
• When a Care Receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Minister will make a referral to an appropriate professional or other community resource.

You may request a Stephen Minister who will walk with you through your healing and faith journey by contacting the Stephen Ministry Care Coordinator, Ann McGonegle. Also with their permission, you may refer someone from our parish you feel would benefit from a Stephen Minister.

Catholic Counseling Options
Catholic Charities Counseling
Kardia Counseling with Deacon Randy Kiehl

Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is "help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship. The focus of this type of spiritual direction is on experience, not ideas, and specifically on the religious dimension of experience, in other words, that dimension of any experience that evokes the presence of the mysterious Other whom we call God. Moreover, this experience is viewed, not as an isolated event, but as an expression of the ongoing personal relationship God has established with each one of us.”   If you desire help recognizing and developing your personal relationship with God, contact Emmaus House at (515) 282-4839 to help you find a spirtual director in our area.